


Her Truth Beneath Their Lies

by DarkerBrighterWriter



Category: One Piece
Genre: Multi, warning: swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2019-06-04 17:02:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 36
Words: 112,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15151661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkerBrighterWriter/pseuds/DarkerBrighterWriter
Summary: One mistake was made, and a whole population had to pay the price. The massive genocide conducted by pirates deeply saddened the World Government. In the end, it left no survivor.At least that’s the story the World Government wants the world to believe.There is, however, one survivor.And she’s out to search for her Truth hidden beneath their Lies ... and maybe get some friends along the way, just to spice up her journey.





	1. What should have been the Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own ONE PIECE, Eiichiro Oda does. I only own this story and the different Ocs that will be coming up at one point or another. I will mainly stick to the manga and there will be some divergence from the canon.  
> So yeah, enjoy!

_Fire_

It grew in the collapsing buildings, claiming lives after lives, leaving no chance for people to survive. It simply grew. Even if the inhabitants tried to reign it in with water, the flames continued to grow until it started to taint the night sky red and black.

_Blood_

It oozed out of the bodies like a waterfall; it tainted the streets. It was everywhere. On the dead bodies, on the hands of the murderers, on the floor, in the air, in the sky. It was in all the forms it could come in, and in all the places it shouldn’t be.

_Death_

It was invisible, but it was there. Claiming life after life, leaving room for no negotiation. Not that any of the inhabitants had even the force to negotiate with Death when their whole population was being massacred, destroyed, annihilated.

_Victims_

Inhabitants of a peaceful island, always welcoming any visitor, being Marine or Pirate. It didn’t matter on this island; your title was reduced to nothing. All that mattered, was the person.

_Murderers_

Pirates, Marines, Revolutionaries? To this day, the one committing this crime were the pirates, according to the World Government, who made sure that the world knew that they were deeply affected by the loss of another peaceful island. And how were they able to destroy that island? With the help of one young child who apparently had enough of the happiness on the island and decided to side with the pirates.

_Lie?_

However, part of the world knows that they cannot trust the Government. They have lied before. And they will continue to lie for a long time to come.

_Truth?_

Another part simply sighed and decided to pray to whatever god is out there that such a horrible act doesn’t happen again. It would be atrocious. Of course, they believed that the Marines and the World Government had tried everything they could to stop the destruction, but where sadly too late.

_No survivor_

The only survivor was the young child who had sided with the pirates, but she was seized one year after the horror and executed in public.

_**However … That is not her truth.**_


	2. The Genocide and the Meeting

The scent of blood clung to the air as a young child let out a pained cry, blood clinging to her small body.

Despair, sadness, and anger shifted on her face as she watched her island burn, creating a red hue in the otherwise dark and clear sky.

Pain burned in her gut as she saw everyone she loved dead before her, some smiling, some crying and some having a fearful expression frozen on their face.

The screams had ceased some time ago, but one cry persisted, the one crying, desperate to get the people she loved back in her life.

Desperate to get back her old life. But she knew that this would never happen. She had lost them all. Forever. Just because of one act, one small act, her whole island had to suffer the wrath of those who did not tolerate people like them. 

The scream had, however, gained the attention of the attackers, all running towards the source of it, wanting to get this massacre done and over with.

The child screamed and screamed as she held the head of her mother in her hands, salty tears streaming down her face.

She was totally unaware of the attention she had gained, still too lost in her own pain and sadness to take notice of the hurrying footsteps.

**“Kill the last inhabitant!”**

The command hung in the air like the smoke and unconsciously; the child started to move. She didn’t know where she was going to go, but what she did know was that she had to leave. Slowly, she began to stand up, dragging her tired and battered body towards the forest, which the flames had already reached.

The child had lost any hope of coming out of this without any reminder, a reminder that would probably never leave her. 

The child momentarily stopped at the outskirt of the forest on fire, before carelessly entering it. She could hear the soldiers scream that they had to search the whole island for that lone inhabitant, no matter how tired they were. Everyone needed to be dead.

Even if it would take them weeks to get them. The child tightened her grip on her mother’s head before slowly walking through the forest, which was consumed by the flames the rest of the island had already fallen victim to. The fire illuminated her small and somewhat fragile body, the heat making her sweat profusely.

The flames continuously licked away at her body, but the child could not feel the pain, the shock of what had happened too evident in her mind and blurring her senses and awareness.

However, as the fire burned the right side of her jaw, she flinched, using her hand to swat it away. Tears clung to the corners of her eyes, but before they could flow down, they evaporated in thin air. 

_They betrayed us_

She could still hear the angry voices of the murderers as they searched the whole island for her. She could hear them destroy every last bit of property that could have miraculously escaped the great fire. She could feel the feet stomping on the ground as they ran.

She could hear the guns that were fired over and over again, trying to find her. She could feel the anger that slowly took over the atmosphere.

She could feel their hurry and their need to find her. She could feel the bloodlust slowly building up, and she shuddered at that, her steps gaining speed.

_We lost_

As she finally reached the shore, the girl’s hair was halfway burnt, one part of her body consumed by the flames she had carelessly walked through in her misery. She looked back, letting her abused mind take in the fact that her home was truly being incinerated by bright red and orange flames in the night.

She could smell the metallic scent of blood and the rotting stench of burning bodies. She could taste the betrayal and defeat, the loss of her people and their pain.

_They are lost_

The child suddenly felt a surge of anger fill her mind, and she let out one last enraged cry. One last goodbye to her island.

One last wish to, one day, expose whoever thought that destroying her home was a good idea. She wailed loudly one last time to let her anger out. And to let the soldiers know that they had failed.

_Failed to kill all of them_

-

The young child was sitting on a small boat when she arrived on a deserted island. Well, on an island that looked deserted, but the child seriously couldn't care less.

She was still holding her mother’s decapitated head, but instead of being scared of it, she hugged it tightly.

It was the only reminder she had from her home that had burned so brightly the night before when she had set sail. It was also a reminder that she should not give up, not now, not ever.

That promise was going to be what was going to push her to continue. To continue to fight. To live. And to get the world to know the truth that had been withheld from them.  

_Mom, why did they betray us?_

No answer came, not that she was expecting any. She was still looking in the direction of her home, not letting her eyes wander off anywhere, even when the island was out of view.

She was replaying too many cheerful memories, and she wasn't able to let go of those and look away. As she felt the currents start to guide her towards a beach, she slowly turned her head around, waiting until the boat had docked itself.

Sluggishly, she jumped out of the boat and sauntered towards the forest, forgetting the small ship. She could feel hungry eyes on her, but in the mind state that the young girl was in, she did not take into account that anyone else could attack her.

Not after humans – _humans_ – destroyed everything she held dear. Everything that made her happy. Everything that held her together. 

_Animals are kind, not like humans … right, mom?_

Not trusting her voice, she asked it silently, looking down at her mother’s dead face. She was greeted with lifeless eyes and a frozen fearful expression.

She gritted her teeth together as she walked towards the middle of the forest, where she had felt something stir awake, the moment she entered the island.

Ignoring her guts that told her to run and never look back, she trudged towards it, ignoring the warning growl that seemed to shake the whole island.

And even her, but after what she had seen, she found it hard to care that there was someone else after her life. Even if she promised herself that she would live. 

_This pain …_

The child winced as she started to take in all the pain that she had been suppressing, but her mind had still a hard time to understand it fully. As she finally reached the center of the island, she noticed that even the trees seemed to be wary of this place.

How she could feel that she didn’t know, but she stopped questioning it the moment she felt a pair of sharp eyes zero in on her. 

She gulped audibly, fear suddenly taking over her whole body. She started to tremble, her hands around her mother’s head tightening. She felt herself grit her teeth. She felt her legs give out under her, but her eyes remained fixed on the figure that appeared in the middle of the place.

A dark aura filled the space, frightening the young child intensely.

She tried gulping down the fear like what she had done before, but it didn't work. And that scared her even more.

**“What is a puny human doing here?”**

The child didn’t know what to do when the being started to walk towards her, but she remained completely still, this time, deciding to follow her instincts and not ignore it like before. Adding to that, the surrounding trees seemed to warn her as well.

Warn her that one small mistake will result in her death. Reminding her coldly that that was what happened to her island. 

**“I asked a question, scum, and I expect an answer.”**

The child shuddered at the voice, feeling fear grip her heart tightly once again. Their voice was deep, threatening and it added even more fear in the young child. She had felt fear when the soldiers had attacked her island. She had felt fear when she was attacked by one of the massive animals on her island. But she never felt the same amount of terror that she felt right now as she heard that being’s voice.

The girl opened her mouth to answer, too scared to disobey, but seconds before she could utter any word, she fell unconscious. Unconscious from the amount of stress, pain, and damage she had taken. 

The being looked down on the weak child, one of their brows twitching in irritation. They were about to leave it to rot out here and become meals for the wilderness, but as they stared at the child long enough, they wondered how the scum survived.

It had burns everywhere on its body, grazes and bruises on its arms. It was holding a decapitated head in bloody hands, and its clothing was cut and torn apart.

Overall, it looked pathetically weak and unable to survive on its own. Sighing tiredly as they realized what they were about to do, they took the young child in their arms and waltzed away, glaring warningly at the animals.

If they wanted to heal that child, the animals better not attack them. Or they would die. 

-

When the young child gained back consciousness, the first thing she realized was that she was in a tremendous amount of pain. She acknowledged that part of her chin, her right shoulder and the left side of her stomach and back felt numb, while the rest ached and burned.

The second thing that she realized was that she was in a stranger's house and bed since the ceiling seemed unfamiliar to her. Even though she was in a lot of pain, the young child decided against crying out because she knew that straining her throat any more than she already did would not end up prettily. 

She leisurely lifted her head to take in her unfamiliar surroundings; her expression morphing into one of pain as she raised her whole body.

**“I wouldn’t move if I was you. You are badly injured, scum.”**

The youngster jumped slightly at the grumpy voice, turning her head hastily in the direction of where she heard the voice coming from.

As her eyes landed on the tall figure, she gulped again and nodded, leaning back so that she was lying down. The being huffed at the human’s obedience before pushing themself of the wall.

They slowly walked towards the youngster, as if not to scare her any more than they already did.

They noticed that the child warily followed his movements, eyes narrowed and mouth set in a thin line.

They smirked at the leery look she was giving him, but ignored it in favor of the head they were holding. The young human gasped at the head and reached out for the head desperately, eyes watering at the sight.

The being raised an eyebrow at the human, who was obviously putting herself in even more pain but seemed to ignore that fact in order to get the head back.

_How fascinating ..._

**“G-give her b-back! G-give M-mom back!”**

The being's raised eyebrow lifted higher at the young child, watching it try to stand up from where it was lying. The child successfully stood up and clumsily exited the bed, but before she could reach them, they put their foot on her head.

They felt her push against them, hands grabbing their pants, fiercely tugging on it. They silently praised her for her determination, but that determination made them wonder what messed up things happened to her to make her hold on to a severed head with such ferocity.

They lifted the head and studied it before asking the obvious to the struggling child.

**“She’s dead. You do realize that?”**

The older being was surprised by the reaction of the child as she brutally pushed their foot away from her forehead.

They saw her clench her bandaged hands tightly, saw how she started to rub the left side of her chin furiously. They stared as the bandage came off and showed the red burn and watched fascinated as the young child yelled at him -  _HIM_ -, a superior being. 

**“I KNOW THAT!! I KNOW THAT EVERYONE WILL NOT COME BACK! NOW GIVE ME BACK MY MOTHER!”**

The child huffed, feeling tears of frustration and realization flow down her face as she sobbed harshly. She rubbed them away, but they maintained their flow as she continued to stroke.

The being noticed that her skin started to grow irritated with the constant rubbing and he was about to stop her when she suddenly looked back up with fiery eyes. 

**"I know that nobody wants me alive, that nobody wants me to survive to tell the truth, that I'm alone right now, but–"**

The child sniffed and inhaled deeply.

**"-But I'm going to continue to survive and tell the truth!"**

The young child gasped as she finished her sentence, suddenly feeling embarrassed by her outburst. She quickly hid her face with her arms, feeling a blush creep up on her face before she froze and remembered exactly who was standing before her. 

The being who was able to send her instincts go crazy with fear, the creature that could probably kill her with a single lift of his fingers. She gulped audibly and paled, slowly looking up to the shadowed face of the being.

She tensed up when she suddenly felt a rather large hand on her head, and closed her eyes tightly, awaiting the final blow. However, all she got was the being rubbing her head hard and chuckling slightly.

That was definitely not what she had expected. Not at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there. Thank you for reading my story and I hope you enjoyed it. 
> 
> Here is only a small warning: English is not my mother tongue, so there may be mistakes. I try to fix it by proofreading everything I write, but I'm sure that there are some that escaped my attention. So, please don't hesitate to point them out to me and I'll try to fix it as fast as possible.
> 
> Thank you again for tuning in. I try to update every week, although I can't make any promise to always be on time.


	3. The End and the Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Underlined and italic = The child
> 
> Italic = The winged man

The child looked up, confused by all that was happening. She hadn't expected the being to pat her so gently after she had yelled at him with all her might. She had expected him to kill her on the spot because she had clearly stepped over the line.

However, the stranger's shadowed face revealed nothing. It was at that moment that she realized that the being was entirely covered in shadows like she was covered in bandages.

As she looked down at her hands, she noticed that some bandages had fallen down. She ignored that information and looked back up to the shadowed being.

Suddenly, all the shadows that had hidden the being from sight before disappeared and she could now clearly see the creature as a winged man looking down at her with unreadable eyes. He looked far less scary that way, even if she knew that he was still dangerous.

However, the man made no move to attack or kill her. The only thing he did, was handing the head of her dead mother back to her.

She took the head gratefully and hugged it, before looking around to find the door to outside.

The being – _man_ – watched with hooded eyes as the child ran towards the door. He disappeared from where he stood only to reappear before the probably fleeing child.

A frown marred his face, a knife now out in his hand, a warning to the child.

**“And where do you think you are going, child-scum?”**

The child looked up to the man and tilted her head in wonder. She knew that she should be scared of the man like she was before, but somehow she knew that he would not hurt her.

How, she didn't know, but she trusted that feeling, even if it went against her instincts. She smiled slightly as she looked down onto her mother’s head and stroked the black hair lovingly.

She seemed not to be disturbed at all at the fact that she was holding a head of all things. A head without a body and still covered in a notable amount of blood and dust. The man's frown deepened at the girl's actions.

**“Mom once told me that if she dies, she wants her body to go down in the seas. She wanted to be where Dad died.”**

The girl explained gently, knowing that it told the man what her intentions where. He seemed to be like the kind of man who was able to immediately read between the lines and see through any kind of lie.

She was proven right when she heard him sigh heavily, his black coat fluttering as he opened the door and moved so that she could get out. However, the youngster didn't move and looked up at the man with hopeful eyes instead.

The man cringed at the look, averting his eyes in hopes that it would be enough to deter her from asking him to help her.

**“Could you please accompany me?”**

_... Shit ..._

The man sighed once again – _it_ _seems like he was doing that a lot since the child's arrival_ – and his frown was quickly replaced by an exasperated expression. He opened his mouth and was ready to refuse, but as he made eye contact with the child once more, his words were stuck in his throat.

They wouldn’t come out no matter how much he tried, no matter how much he willed himself even to whisper them out. Shaking his head, the man decided that it just meant that he would have to accompany the human girl to the cliff not far away from here.

He nodded at the child, who grinned widely at the tall man and followed him out.

The walk to the cliff was a silent one. While the animals ran away from the intimidating man, the young girl followed the man quietly, clutching her mother’s head.

The nearer they got to the shore – _the youngster could tell by the sound of the waves_ – the tighter she held the head, not bothering to hide the fact that she was nervous about letting it go.

To let go of all the memories. Of all the people she once knew and loved. The tall man looked back to the child, narrowing his eyes as she tilted her head slightly as if she was listening to some kind of sound that only she could hear.

The young child looked at the trees as a soft melody started to fill the atmosphere. The trees seemed to start to shake slightly, contributing to the sweet song.

The young girl looked up at the man, making eye contact with him, but before she could ask him anything, the tall man had turned his head back to the front. The child sighed sadly and decided to ignore the sad, but the soft melody that accompanied them. 

As they finally arrived, the trees moved to give place to a cliff, the sound of the ocean filling the surrounding air and becoming part of the melody.

The child shuddered as the taller man pointed at the edge of the cliff, silently telling her that she could do whatever she needed to do, there. The youngster took a step forward, slowly walking to the edge, the melody starting to become softer and softer.

Hands trembled as the realization that she would have to let go hit her. She lifted her hands sluggishly and kissed her mother’s forehead, tears staining the dead body part.

**“Goodbye, Mom. Everyone.”**

The young child threw the head over the edge watching it with tears as it fell in the ocean and started to sink. Lower and lower, until it reached the bottom, dispersing in small particles. She noticed that the melody has halted and that the waves of the ocean and the soft breeze were the only sounds that filled the clearing.

The man waited for the youngster to finish mourning and leaned against a tree. He put his hands in his pockets and took out a pack of cigarette and a lighter, lighting one up.

**“Rest i-in peace, G-gabrie.”**

The man stopped dead in his tracks at the child's goodbye sentence. Eyes shadowed by his grey hair, his cigarette hung in the air, the flame of the lighter wavering with the wind.

The young child didn’t notice the man's strange actions and continued to grieve, her cries filling the entire island, which made the animals stop in their tracks and listen to the wails. She silently begged whatever god was out there to take care of her family and of her people.

She wanted them to at least be able to live a worry-free afterlife with the knowledge that she survived. And that she would not be silenced, no matter what. She would make her people's murderers suffer for their crimes and make sure that they would be punished.

The winged man approached the child and sat down beside her. It was at that moment that the girl realized that she had fallen on her knees while grieving. However, she decided to ignore the man and wiped away her tears, which continued to come out. 

**“You said Gabrie? Is that where you come from, brat?”**

A nod was his answer. He exhaled tiredly and shook his head, a wave of sadness and pain washing over him. He looked up to the sky sadly and inhaled the smoke of his cigarette, before breathing it out.

_So that was the pain I felt ..._

The winged man stood up and took the weeping child in his arms. He squashed his cigarette and sauntered back to his house, ignoring the animals that had started to howl.

The young child in his arms was too busy crying, which meant that she didn't notice the lone tear that left the man’s eye. What she did see, however, is that the man had stopped calling her _scum_.

Which for her, was already an accomplishment, much like being carried in his gigantic arms, that made her feel secure and safe.

As they entered the forest again, the child noticed that the melody was back, but this time, a happy undertone accompanied the song.

**–**

**“What's your name, brat?”**

It was an unexpected question for the child as she sat on the gigantic man's lap, watching the wildlife from the hill where the house was built upon.

She tilted her head sideways, looking up in the man's dark eyes, wondering why he was asking her this now. He shrugged at her unasked question and leaned against the back of the chair, giving the youngster enough time to decide whether or not, she should give him her name.

She stared at him for minutes straight, but the man remained in his position, watching the outside. The introduction left her lips minutes after he had asked his question and it was quickly accompanied by a question the man knew was going to be asked.

**“My name is Ell. And what is yours, old man?”**

The man chuckled at Ell, wondering where the fear went that she had shown him not mere two hours ago.

He remembered her trembling before him and not calling him old man in a rude, yet warm way. Ell looked up at him with curious eyes, but he just shook his head at her.

A small smile came upon his lips as she shifted closer to him. He patted her head once again and waited for Ell to say anything, but she remained quiet. Quiet like he did, giving him enough time to decide whether or not to provide her with his name.

Several hours passed and Ell was nearly asleep when she heard him mutter his name for the first time.

A big smile adorned her lips at that, but she didn't make a big scene about it. What she did do, was snuggling closer to his chest, hugging him.

The man only grumbled in response, but put an arm around her nonetheless, hugging her to him as well. Ell closed her eyes and sighed in contentment.

**“Thank you, Gabriel.”**

-

_ Come on, old man, the fish won’t catch itself! _

_I’m coming brat._

-

Ell found a new home after her old one was destroyed. She was thrilled. She had the chance to create her own truth now.

-

_ Why did you decide to help me when you heard that my island was Gabrie? _

_…_

_ If you don’t want to answer, it’s fine Gabriel. Everyone has their own secrets. _

_…_

_ Good night, Gabriel. _

_Good night, brat._

-

However, questions were still left unanswered in her search for the truth, but she knew that in this case the saying that _Time would tell_ , was fitting. And she would wait for the truth. Wait until Gabriel was ready.

-

_ Gabriel? Gabriel?! GABRIEL!! _

_What is it, brat? Why do you sound so panicked?_

_ Look at that article! _

_Wha-_

_ … _

_…_

_ Someone was killed … because they thought it was me! It was my fault an innocent life has been taken, Gabriel! I’m the reason why that girl DIED! _

_…_

_ It’s my fault, it’s my fault, it’s my fault, it’s my fault, it’s my fault, it’s my fault, it’s my fault, it’s my- _

_Ell!_

_ NO! It is my fau– _

_It is not your goddamn fault! The Marine made a mistake, and that was not your fault!_

_ B-but- _

_No buts, Ell. It is not your fault that your island has been destroyed, it is not your fault that the Navy killed an innocent! It is not your fault, Ell!_

_ … _

_Repeat after me, Ell. It. Is. Not. Your. Fault._

_ … _

_Ell …_

_ … _

_Ell._

_ … _

_Ell!_

_ … _

_…_

_ It is not my fault … _

_Good, now, go to bed, brat._

-

Yet, she became aware of the fact that not all truths are good to hear or to acknowledge. That sometimes, the truth hurts more than the lies. That the truth is, more often than not, denied. That lies are accepted more readily and acknowledged as the truth. Creating the universal false truth she was going to fight. Or at least, she thought she was going to fight it.

-

_ WOW!! Teach me how to fight like you, old man! _

_And why would you want to learn how to fight, brat?_

_ So that I can protect myself and those I hold dear! And I want to help you too! _

_Hahahaha!_

_ Don’t laugh at me, you pervert old man! _

_Fine, brat, I will train you! Don’t expect me to be kind to you though, brat._

_ Thanks, old man. _

-

But she knew that she had to become stronger. Way stronger than what she was now, using her Devil Fruit in ways she knew was unfathomable. She knew that she had to grow stronger to be able to shoulder the dark truth. Or else, she was going to destroy herself with her dream.

-

_ Old man, will you one day tell me why you helped me? _

_One day, brat, one day._

-

And one day, she knew that the truth would be revealed to her. That one day, with all her efforts, she will be able to say that she was telling the truth confidently. That she was aware of every lie the World Government, the pirates, the marines and the revolutionary were voicing.

_-_

_ Gabriel! Gabriel! Gabriel! _

_What is it, brat? It’s two in the mornings._

_ Thanks for always being there for me, old man. _

_… You're welcome, brat._

-

Meanwhile, she created her own truth, a truth that would mean the world for her. And that truth would be that Gabriel was now her family. Furthermore, Ell will forever cherish the memories because those were the only real truth she had that remained from Gabrie. 

-

**“Gabriel? Is everything okay?”**

Ell wondered if Gabriel heard her call out for him, but as she saw him shift ever so slightly, she knew that he had heard her. A small smile moved her lips upwards as she jumped on the chair before him, the desk moving ever so slightly as she landed on the chair.

Gabriel chuckled at the hyperactivity of the younger human, his wings fluttering at the same time, showing that he was happy. Ell noticed that motioned and her small smile transformed into a full-blown grin.

Gabriel sighed and took out another cigarette, lighting it up. He looked out of the window as he exhaled a cloud of smoke, before shifting his attention to the younger girl, who had remained quiet.

**“You always asked me why I helped you, right?”**

Ell looked back up to the winged man and nodded slowly. She observed as he rubbed his forehead, a frown on his face in place of the usual relaxed expression.

Ell scowled at that, but she let the silence linger in the air, obviously giving the man enough time to get his thoughts sorted. It was with a heavy heart that Gabriel began to tell Ell his reasons, in the form of a story.

**“Then let me tell you a story.”**

Ell was finally able to uncover one part of the hidden truth.


	4. Never expected this to happen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there!
> 
> Just a small warning beforehand, I made some changes. I decided to make longer chapters since the previous length didn't please me at all. This means that only four chapter had been posted instead of the initial six.
> 
> Thank you for reading my fanfiction and I hope you enjoy!

Ell expected a lot of things to happen when she arrived on Rasberry, a merchant island. She expected to have people look at her in fear, she expected to have to put some pirates or marines back to their place.

She expected people to whisper about her scar on the lower part of her jaw, she expected to be kicked out of some shops. However, she never expected to meet Monkey D. Luffy and have him take one look at her before claiming that he wanted her on his crew.

She laughed at the younger man who was standing before her, her head thrown backward. She had noticed that the bartender and some other customers flinched at the sound, probably because of the rumors that had circled around.

She ignored them in favor of the young man who seemed very adamant on her joining him.

**“And why should I join you, Monkey D. Luffy?”**

Luffy grinned brightly and put his hands on his hips, an innocent look accompanying the dominating stance. Ell raised an eyebrow at the boy, who obviously seemed not to know who she was, or he had never seen her bounty.

**“Because I will be the one who will be the next Pirate King.”**

Silence filled the room, many men and women forgetting how to breathe in that small moment.

Ell’s bangs shadowed her eyes, her body starting to tremble. She did not find that reason to be good enough for her to join.

**“Pirate King? You?”**

Ell’s voice was quiet and not above a whisper, but with the bar being entirely silent, everyone heard it. Luffy nodded vigorously, seemingly not scared of the cold glare the woman sent his way.

Ell gritted her teeth, a wave of disappointment crashing over her. She slowly stood up and took out one of her daggers from its brightly colored sheath, playing with it.

Luffy’s eyes glowed brightly at the display, but his attention snapped back to the woman when she asked in an icy voice.

**“Why?”**

Luffy tilted his head to the side, not understanding what the woman was asking him. Ell shot the dagger in the air as Luffy asked innocently.

**“Why what?”**

Ell caught her dagger, and suddenly she appeared before Luffy, her arm stretched out and her blade near the boy’s throat. Sharp, steely eyes looked straight into Luffy’s orbs, but Luffy did not react to the obvious threat the angered woman was omitting.

**“Why do you want to be the Pirate King, brat?”**

It was at that moment that Sanji entered the bar, sighing heavily when he noticed Luffy. However, his eyes narrowed when he saw a beautiful woman threatening his captain with a dagger at the edge of his throat.

He was about to butt in when Luffy smiled brightly and answered cheerfully.

**“Because the Pirate King is the freest person in the world.”**

Once again, silence befell the bar and Sanji sighed at Luffy simplistic mind. He noticed that the woman froze, a look of shook appearing on her face before she started to tremble.

He was about to whack his captain on the head for making a lady cry, but he froze mid-step when the woman threw her head back and laughed wholeheartedly.

Luffy looked at the woman with curious eyes and watched her lower her dagger. Ell couldn’t help but feel relieved.

She had felt so disappointed that the one Rookie who she had a good feeling about wanted to become the Pirate King, but she guessed that she had to listen to his reasons first before she judged him.

**“Freest person?”**

Luffy nodded at the mysterious woman when he noticed that Sanji had arrived here.

Before Ell could react though, Sanji swirled before her, his eyes in the form of hearts. Ell cringed as he appeared before her, Luffy laughing loudly at the disturbed expression that crossed the woman’s face.

**“Such a beautiful Angel, you stole my – ARGH!”**

Before Ell could reign in her instincts, she punched the pervert away from her. Her eyes narrowed at the man who now stood farther away from her.

Well, he laid, since she did punch him in the gut, making him crash through the wall of the bar and several other barriers.

She heard the bartender whine about his wall, but like the rest of the villagers, he didn’t dare confront Ell with it. Luffy laughed at Sanji before stretching his limbs and hugging Ell.

Ell tensed up as she felt Luffy surround her and she tried desperately to get him off of her. Luffy grinned at her, his eyes once again shining brightly.

**“Welcome to my crew! The one you punched was Sanji.”**

Ell scowled at the younger boy, obviously not happy that he was forcing her to join his crew. She took his stretched neck and tried to untangle herself from him, but Luffy was determined not to let the woman go.

Ell’s eyebrow twitched in frustration until she decided that she would merely go her merry way and ignore the leech she had acquired.

Swiftly walking out of the bar, she ignored the whining boy, her anger slowly building up as Luffy continued to recruit her.

As minutes continued to pass, her pace won in rapidity before she suddenly froze mid-step. Ell’s eyes were still shadowed by her hair, and her whole body was tense under Luffy’s grip.

Ell gritted her teeth together as she felt a very familiar presence approach her location. A familiar presence she would have loved never to feel nor meet again, but as things were looking, she knew that she will have to face him now.

He must have felt her and know that she knew that he was present, there was no other explanation as to why he was sauntering through the city.

**“Get off of me, Monkey D. Luffy, before I remove that head of yours. I’m in no mood to fight with someone planted at my hips.”**

Luffy looked up with wide eyes as he slowly let go of the woman. He had felt the shift in the atmosphere as she had frozen where she stood. Nonetheless, he still smiled determinedly at the woman.

**“I still want you in my crew! You are already my friend!”**

Another exasperated sigh left Ell’s lips as she glared at the boy who called her his friend. She never had someone be so desperate to be her friend, and she would lie to herself if she said that she did not appreciate the feeling.

Most would have given up the second they saw her scar and realized that she hid some more under her cloak – _even though she did not call it hiding since she had to hide entirely if she wanted to remain incognito_.

Her attention shifted the moment she heard an all too familiar chuckle, and she glared at the man who stood in the middle of the street.

Every villager quickly hurried away from the man, obviously scared out of their core by his mere presence. Ell growled at the man and pushed Luffy behind her, being thankful that she was taller than him.

**“HEY! DON’T PUSH ME BEHIND YOU, MYSTERY WOMAN!”**

Both Ell and the other man ignored the rookie in favor of each other. Ell narrowed her eyes at the man, swiftly taking her two daggers before the two of them disappeared from sight, leaving Luffy behind flabbergasted.

As the two reappeared again, their blades crossed each other, a wave of energy ripping through the air, leaving the majority of the inhabitants unconscious.

Ell and the mysterious man clashed several times, both profoundly concentrated. They both knew that if this match was going to continue, innocent villagers were going to have to suffer the consequences. And both would prefer to avoid such consequences if possible. One last clash between the two with their blade propelled them backward. Ell landed just before Luffy, whose eyes were replaced with two big stars, wonder clearly written on his face.

Ell chuckled at the boy but looked back to the man she was fighting when she heard him chuckle as well. Every ounce of emotion left Ell’s face when she faced the man once again. She looked at him with emotionless eyes, which flickered every so often.

**“LUFFY!”**

Ell tensed at the sound of Luffy’s crew, and before Luffy could react, she pushed him back, making him land in the arms of Zoro. Zoro narrowed his eyes at the mysterious woman Sanji had told them about. Ell didn’t look back to face the young boy’s crew, and instead, she concentrated all of her attention on the man before her.

**“He– HE’S A MARINE??!!! LUFFY!! In what trouble where you once again???”**

Ell raised an eyebrow at the outburst of two of his crewmates but didn’t comment on their observation. The man neared where Ell was, making Ell narrow her eyes and shift into a defensive position. She felt his attack before she saw him, but before he could reach her, a wall of wood appeared before her, protecting her from his attack.

Several surprised shrieks followed the appearance of the wall, but Ell decided to ignore them in favor of escaping the Marine. Before she could jump away, however, she felt a set of arms surround her body, and she had not enough time to react.

**“ _Gum-Gum no ROCKET_!”**

Ell swore that she was going to make Luffy pay for this. She swore it on her honor because that is the only way she was sure that she would not murder him and make them fall in the ocean. And with them, she meant Luffy and herself, since the rest of his crew was left behind.

**“LUFFY!!!”**

She knew at that moment that it was not something new if the way that Nico Robin chuckled and the blonde pervert with a swirly muttered _Not again_ were any indication. She sighed exasperated, and she closed her eyes, getting a feeling of her surroundings. They were nearing a ship, and the rest of the crew was chasing after them at the edge of the town. Farther away, she knew that the man she had been fighting was watching everything with narrowed eyes, probably wondering why there was someone who would help her.

Or try to escape with her, for that matter. She narrowed her eyes when she felt herself and Luffy near the ship. And if they continued to fall, the two of them would end up in the ocean. And she knew that the two of them were Devil Fruit users, meaning that they would both drown. Sighing tiredly, she stretched out her arm and called out.

**“ _Rope_.”**

Using the material of the Straw Hat’s ship, she made it envelop the two of them and pull the two back onto the boat. As they landed, she made sure that Luffy wouldn’t be able to land on his feet, while she could. Luffy was laughing happily, his friends appearing on the ship, everyone watching the new woman intently, not entirely trusting her.

Ell, on the other side, slowly approached the laughing captain, her steps making no sound. Zoro and Sanji frowned at that, even though Sanji was half tempted to flirt with the older woman, but he remained quiet as Nami glared at him. They all felt the threatening aura she was giving off, except Luffy, who continued to laugh happily.

**“Monkey D. Luffy. What is the meaning of this?”**

Ell’s voice was low and cold, making Usopp, Nami and Chopper shriek in fear, while Zoro took out his swords and Robin crossed her arms, ready to use her Devil Fruit. Sanji was conflicted because he didn’t want to attack a woman, even if she was threatening his captain.

**“Shishishishishi, I told you that I wanted you in my crew. And you can’t go back, either way, we are too far away.”**

Ell tensed at that, her head turning sharply to look behind her. She growled as she saw that the idiot was right. There was no way that she could jump off the boat and get back to the island. Before anyone could react, Ell kicked Luffy, making him crash into the kitchen. Everyone was frozen in their place as her threatening aura grew heavier. Her eyes, which were previously hidden beneath her hair, were now glaring in Luffy’s direction.

**“Count this as payment, Monkey D. Luffy. And for the last time, I’m not going to join your crew.”**

Everyone sighed as they realized that Luffy had once again forced someone into their crazy group. Nami smiled sympathetically along with the rest of the crew, while Robin remained silent. Ell eyed the older woman who had a similar fate like hers, before letting out a long breath and muttered under her breath.

**“I need some goddamn tea, or I won’t survive this freaking shit.”**

Sanji immediately disappeared in the kitchen, kicking Luffy away, making some tea for the new addition to the crew, even if she was against it. Luffy sprung back up and started yelling at Ell that she was going to remain on this ship for longer than just the journey to the next island, while Ell yelled back that she did not want to become a pirate.

The fight continued for hours, and Robin was the only one to notice that every time Luffy mentioned that she was his friend now, since she saved him, that Ell flinched and looked torn between wanting to join the adventure, but not doing so because something was holding her back. Much like her.

**“Why don’t you want to join my crew, mystery woman?”**

Ell’s eyebrow twitched at the nickname, and she started to tremble slightly, glaring at Luffy, who was glaring right back at her.

**“Because me being on this ship will bring the whole goddamn world on your back and put you in even more danger than you already are with having Nico Robin on board. No offense, Nico Robin, but it is sadly the truth.”**

Robin narrowed her eyes at the younger woman, who momentarily looked up at her with an apologetic expression, before going back to glaring at Luffy. Luffy tilted his head sideways, not really understanding why having this mysterious woman on the ship would be dangerous, and the rest of the crew wondered as well. Ell sighed as she realized that they didn’t know who she was and that she had a hefty bounty on her head.

Ell fumbled with a small backpack that she had on herself, before taking out a piece of paper. Everyone in the crew recognized it to be a Wanted Poster of someone. Luffy narrowed his eyes innocently and asked.

**“What’s written on it?”**

Ell shook her head, already immune to the idiocy the captain seemed to have and held it higher. Everyone read the bounty and Nami, Usopp and Chopper shrieked in fear once again.

**_'The Traitor' Ell ManderVill_ **

**_Dead or Alive_ **

**_105’000’000 berries_**


	5. Are you sure about this?

Silence reigned over the Going Merry as it continued to sail peacefully through the ocean. Ell waited for any reaction from Luffy since he was the only one who had yet to react to her bounty.

She was not counting on the number to dissuade Luffy, but on the epithet that the Marine had given her. Nobody would even think twice about not taking her in with the fact that the Marine called her **THE Traitor**. Luffy was still silent, so Ell decided to gauge the rest of the crew’s reactions.

Nami, Usopp, and Chopper were all huddled together in fear and had their eyes working overtime with tears. Sanji wasn’t put off by her bounty the least, too entranced by her so-called beauty – _Ell snorted at that, there was no way that she was beautiful_.

Robin was watching her with a guarded expression, but she could see some hint of understanding in her eyes. Ell knew that Robin was called **Demon Child** , which wasn’t that much more flattering than her epithet.

Zoro was the only one who had tensed up at the sight of her bounty, his eyes widening as his hands flew to his swords, ready to fight. Ell rolled her eyes at him; she had no intention of challenging any of them; she just needed that stubborn captain of theirs to let her go.

Luffy tilted his head slightly forward so that Ell couldn’t see his facial expression anymore.

**“Will you betray us?”**

Ell frowned at the question and shook her head.

**“Betray you? Like giving you up to the Marine? Never.”**

Suddenly, she was faced with a big smile, kind eyes, and a relaxed crew. Confusion swirled in her expression as the trio stopped crying and shrieking and the rest calmed down, to smile at her as well. Her frown deepened as she tilted her head to the side.

This was confusing; she needed an explanation. Why did the crew look at her as if she was part of their own and this was the standard procedure of entering it?

**“Then I don’t care! You are my friend and part of this crew now! And you have a bigger bounty than me! That’s amazing!”**

Ell remained frozen in place, her eyes wide in shock as she watched the captain dance around her. The crew laughed at their new addition’s perplexed expression.

Luffy soon ran towards Usopp and Chopper, laughing and cheering with them. Nami was the first one to approach the startled woman, a kind smile on her face.

**“Welcome to the crew, Ell. Please don’t mind Luffy’s idiocy, most of our crew were recruited that way as well. He’s way too stubborn, you know? I’m Nami, by the way.”**

Ell remained silent as Nami offered an apology. She didn’t trust them, and she knew that at least Robin and Zoro didn’t believe her either.

Nami seemed resigned and knew that it wasn’t their decision to make. Usopp and Chopper only accepted the recruit, laughing with their captain as if they weren’t crying from fear minutes ago. Sanji was being a gentleman and had made her some tea, calling her beautiful while doing so.

She was very tempted to attempt on making a smaller boat out of the Going Merry, but one look at the ship and she knew that it would not survive longer than it is doing now.

As she looked around, she felt the ship’s determination to continue this adventure, but she also felt resignation. Going Merry knew that this was her last travel.

She wondered if the crew had noticed that.

**“Monkey D. Luffy, are you sure you want me in your crew?”**

Ell’s question gained everyone’s attention. It was a simple question which spoke volumes. She had accepted her fate. She had accepted the fact that she was now a Straw Hat as well. Ell wanted to fight off the captain’s claim, but she had only to take one look in his eyes, and she knew she would never be able to leave.

If she wanted to be leech-free, that is.

Luffy grinned brightly and nodded. Ell sighed and went over to the staircase, sitting down on it. She eyed every member, taking mental notes about their appearance and everything. As she did so, everyone watched her with either a curious expression or suspicion. Finally, Ell decided to break the silence.

**“And what would be my role in this crew, Captain?”**

Her question was a simple one, but Luffy looked straight in the woman’s eyes, probably thinking about what it should be. Meanwhile, Usopp and Chopper hid behind the mast, and Robin sat down on a deck chair with a book. Nami went to her Orange plantation, and Zoro waited beside his captain.

Sanji had made some refreshments for everyone on the crew and given the ladies something to eat.

**“What are you good at?”**

Ell laughed loudly at the question, and she realized that she was only recruited because she seemed exciting and nothing more. That was a funny realization, even when she noticed that most of the crew laughed as well.

Seems like she wasn’t the only one who found it laughable that Luffy didn’t think about the future that much.

**“I’m an information gatherer if you will. Now, Captain, since you recruited me, you may as well have signed your doom. However, it is obvious that you don’t care. Do you?”**

Luffy nodded thoughtfully, exclaiming proudly.

**“YOSH! Starting today, Ell, you are our informant! Everyone, let’s introduce ourselves!”**

A small chuckle left Ell’s lips as she shook her head at her role. She might even enjoy her stay here if it continues like this. Looking around, she noticed that the whole crew had gathered around. Ell decided that it was the right moment to stand up and spook them out slightly.

As she did so, she took off her cloak, making most of the crew’s eyes fly to her scars. Ell shrugged at the questioning looks; she would have to show her body, either way, might as well do it now.

She walked down the rest of the stairs facing the crew. Before they could say anything, she held her hand up and took out a small notebook to draw faces to the notes she had already taken.

They all eyed it with curiosity, but Ell did not explain as to which purpose it served. She pointed at Zoro with her pen first, a small grin creeping up on her face.

**“You are Roronoa Zoro. Age: 19. Bounty: 60,000,000 berries. Dream: Become the best Swordsman in the world. You are the first mate.”**

Before Zoro could say anything, Ell pointed her pen at Sanji, who tensed up tremendously and she knew exactly why. She inhaled deeply, flipping the page with her other hand.

**“V. Sanji. Age: 19. Bounty: None. Dream: find All Blue. You are the cook of this crew.”**

Ell looked up to see Sanji shake his head, his teeth clashing together. She probably made him remember the fact that some people know who his family really is.

Not that she really cared. She sighed and shifted her pen to point at Usopp, who gulped audibly.

**“Okay. Usopp, son of Yasopp. Age: 17. Bounty: None. Dream: becoming a brave warrior of the sea like your father and visiting Elbaf. You are the sniper of the crew. I think that will suffice for now.”**

Usopp looked to the side, obviously uncomfortable that Ell knew that much about him. Ell shrugged at that, it was her job, and the Straw Hats were the only rookies where she researched every member that carefully. Her pen shifted towards Nami, who flinched suspiciously.

Ell decided to ignore that in favor of her notes. She also noticed that the rest of the crew had tensed up at the mention that she knew much more than what she was showing, but she wanted them to be aware of the fact that people like her can quickly get information about them. 

**“Nami, orphan of war, unknown village. You grew up in Orange Town with an older sister, Nojiko, in the East blue. Age: 18. Bounty: None. Dream: draw a map of the world. You are the navigator of this crew and probably their thief as well.”**

Nami looked to the side, obviously not comfortable with every information Ell was giving away, but she needed them to know that she had a certain amount of knowledge when it came to people. She needed them to realize what it meant for her to be in this crew.

Maybe that would shake them off? Ell shook her head at that, knowing that there was now no way that they would let her go. Her pen moved towards Chopper.

**“Chopper, you were originally a reindeer, but you were outcasted because of your nose. Age: 15. Bounty: None. Devil fruit: Hito Hito no Mi. You are the doctor of this crew. Dream: you want to be able to cure any disease.”**

Chopper looked up at Ell with sparkling eyes, even if she could see some suspicion hiding behind it. She quickly jotted down some more information she had gained from the ship, listening intently to what it was telling her willingly.

Everything she had found out was because of her travel, but a lot came from the Going Merry itself. Ell knew that it was trusting her and she internally thanked it. A peaceful melody was her response.

Ell pointed her pen at Robin, who narrowed her eyes at her. She knew that Robin wouldn’t want her to disclose any information about her past and like the rest, she was going only to disclose some minor information. Up to Robin to see if she kills her or not.

**“Nico Robin. I have quite a lot to say about you, but I will refrain since I know that most of it is hard to remember. Either way, Age: 28, Bounty: 79,000,000 berries, since you are a child. Dream: find the Rio Poneglyph. Devil fruit: Hana Hana no Mi. For now, you seem to be quite distant towards the rest of the crew.”**

Robin relaxed tremendously when she realized that Ell wasn’t going to disclose too much information. However, one look at her told Robin that she knew about Ohara. Robin pointedly looked to the side, making Ell shake his head. Finally, her pen pointed at Luffy, who merely stared at her with sparkling eyes.

Was he surrounded by so many idiots that having someone with a little bit of knowledge was something amazing? 

**“Monkey D. Luffy. Age: 17. Bounty: 100,000,000 berries. Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates. Devil Fruit: Gumo Gumo no mi. Monkey D. Garp is your grandfather. I know who’s your father, but you are not ready to know about him. There is more, but I guess, I said enough, haven’t I?”**

Nobody spoke once again; even Luffy remained silent. It was tense until Ell began to yawn loudly and stretch her limbs. She looked at everyone around her and smiled. She knew that her stunt had hit a nerve and she liked that. It showed them what awaited them when she was onboard.

However, she also knew that they had the right to know more about her, so she decided to open the conversation.

**“Any question for me?”**

**“I do, Miss Informant.”**

Ell yawned once again as she leaned herself against the railing while nodding at Robin to continue. Robin nodded back and smiled coldly at the mysterious woman who knew too much about them, in her opinion.

**“Tell us a little bit about yourself. You know a lot about us, it should be fair that we know more about you, don’t you think?”**

Ell smiled at the woman and closed her notebook, putting it back into the backpack with the pen. She sat down on the railing, crossing her leg and a thoughtful expression crossed her face.

A small smile replaced the bigger grin she had worn.

**“So, about me, huh?”**

Everyone nodded and sat down before Ell as if she was going to tell them a story. She smirked as only Zoro remained behind, the only one who didn’t truly trust her. Ell shrugged at him and started.

She could care less if people couldn’t trust her. They were the kind of people she loved to mess around with the most. Robin will be fun to mess around with too.

**“As you all know, my name is Ell ManderVill. You saw my bounty, as well as my epithet, so the other thing I can tell you is that I’m 20 years old and that I’m a Devil fruit user. I ate the Ki Ki no Mi, meaning that I can control anything related to trees. I could control the whole ship to change its form, for example.”**

Robin and Zoro noticed that she wasn’t going in any details, refraining from telling too much. As they remembered that she had refrained from telling the rest of the crew some crucial or too personal information, they decided that they wouldn’t pry too much.

For now.

Nami, on the other hand, watched with a mortified expression as Luffy’s eyes started to sparkle when Ell demonstrated her power. Usopp and Chopper shared their captain’s enthusiasm and asked Ell to create some more figurines.

Ell smirked at that and created a representation of Sanji,  who chased around some faceless women, and Zoro who seemed to sleep under a tree.

Sanji sweatdropped at his representation, but as he heard Nami and Robin giggle at the sight, he returned to his usual self and worshipped the two other female crewmembers.

**“I can understand trees in all of their forms, they communicate with a certain type of melody, which often allows me to locate what I want or to get a good idea of what my surroundings are.”**

Ell tilted her head as the melody of the ship started to darken, and she realized that the Going Merry wasn’t going to get farther than the next island. She was ready to give the crew that information, but as she saw the team take good care of it, she realized that they weren’t prepared to let it go.

Much like her when–

Ell shook her head at the beginning of that thought, frowning as her mind tried to wander on dangerous and painful territories. The rest of the crew noticed her action, but before they could ask her what she was doing, she resumed her explanation.

**“Where I come from and where I was will remain classified information. Anything else you would like to know about me, Straw Hats?”**

This time, Chopper was the one to respond to the older woman.

**“What’s your dream? Your goal?”**

Ell’s facial expression changed into a distant one, as she turned her head to look at the ocean, the island far behind already.

Everyone waited patiently until the woman turned her head back towards them as a small, sad smile on her face. It was the first time the crew saw a more fragile expression on her face.

**“I want to uncover the truth. I want to be able to tell with conviction that what I know is the truth and that those who created these web of lies crash down and suffer for the pain they have spread in the world. And i want to create my own Truth.”**

She looked straight at Robin, who knew what she was talking about, but pointedly turned her head in defiance. Ell sighed at that and knew that something was going to go south in the next island they will end up on.

After all, Water 7 is under the Governments influence. On the other hand, Luffy was looking at her with an approving expression, Usopp and Chopper accepted it without asking questions, but the rest knew that Ell’s dream was a dangerous one.

One that could cost her everything she fought for.

**“I know the danger I am in just by following my dream.”**

The deck went silent as they let Ell think about what she was going to say next. Ell closed her eyes and clenched her fists as anger started to boil under her skin.

Suddenly, she looked back up, her eyes full of determination, a severe expression on her face.

**“But I don’t care. Not after Ohara. Or Gabrie, for that matter. Not when so many people suffer from lies. However–“**

Ell gulped as she continued to look straight at Robin, Ell’s eyes never leaving hers. Robin raised an eyebrow at the woman, wondering what was going to leave her lips.

**“I will need your help, Robin. I don’t know how to read Poneglyphs. And I need to know what happened in the void century as well if I want to have even a chance of reaching my dream.”**

Once again, silence filled the ship as Ell and Robin watched each other. Ell never looked away as Robin and her begun a staring contest, the rest of the crew growing more and more agitated by the rising tension.

Everyone, except for the Monster Trio, since Luffy looked utterly lost, Zoro was watching the two women like a hawk and Sanji was fawning over how beautiful they were, even when they were glaring at each other, was quiet and hoped that the glaring match wouldn't end in something more violent.

Only the sound of the ocean filled the air as they faced each other; the rest of the crew soon growing too agitated to remain in the presence of the two women. Ell ignored the rest of the team and suddenly, she felt happy to be slightly taller than most of the crew, only somewhat shorter than Robin.

Robin was the first to break the tension between the two by turning around and leaving Ell alone.

Ell sighed dejectedly when Robin left, but she noticed that the black-haired woman had also put a lot of distance between herself and the rest of the crew.

She wondered if any of her crewmates had noticed it, but by the way, they were reacting, something must have happened because they all seemed worried about her health as well as Luffy’s.

Ell looked around before finding that the staircase was her best option to sit down and enjoy the afternoon sun.

A yawn once more left her lips, and she decided that it was time for her to sleep a little bit. The fight with that Marine and all the explanation and fighting she had done today were enough to tire her out.

Leaning against the rail, she slowly left the real world for one of dreams.


	6. Water 7, shipwrights and what more?

Three days passed slowly as everyone grew accustomed to another addition to their crew. Ell was able to find out during that time that the crew had been attacked by an Admiral – _Aokiji_ – before they met her and that they were barely able to get away from him alive.

Ell had flinched as Zoro explained the situation to her and he had frowned as he saw her write down what he had said.

Meanwhile, during those days, Ell was able to close a small amount of the distance that Robin had put between the two of them, but she knew that because she was new, Ell will have to work slightly harder to achieve her goal. Not that being friends with Robin was only for her purpose, she seemed like a reliable source of knowledge and fun. A good friend.

There was also the fact that she didn’t consider running away from the crew anymore. That must have been Luffy’s work because she had been sure that she would leave as soon as they touched land, but the more time passed, the less she felt the need to go.

This scared her, and she knew that some had realized that too, but as they glanced knowingly at her, she pointedly glared back, slightly ashamed that she was giving in so easily.

A long sigh left her lips as she leaned against the rail of the ship, looking at the ocean, lost in thoughts.

She smiled when Sanji approached her and proposed some food, which she happily accepted. She closed her eyes as different flavors exploded in her mouth and she refrained herself from moaning.

Partly for her dignity and partly because she didn’t want to be the reason Sanji dies of blood loss. And partly because that would be highly embarrassing.

Instead, Ell decided to smile thankfully at Sanji, accompanied by a quiet thank you. It had been long since she had eaten such food since being on the run didn't allow her to enjoy the food. The best meal she had eaten was poorly prepared cheap food. 

Not that she minded such food, but food had mainly become a chore more than a pleasure at that point.

Ell was enjoying her food, watching with exasperation as Luffy ordered the crew to follow some frog. She raised an eyebrow at that but ignored the silliness of the statement when Nami asked for her help.

Ell nodded at that and helped Nami with steering the ship in the direction of the swimming frog. Or humanoid frog, if the rest of the crew’s description was anything to go by.

However, the ship stopped abruptly, and a pinging noise reached her ears. Ell frowned at that as she balanced herself on the shaking ship, swiftly walking to the edge of the broken ship.

Ell gasped as she saw the frog which they were chasing after standing on the water – _Were those tracks?_ – seemingly not bothered by the currents or their presence.

**“Guys … I think we are in trouble …”**

Nami was the only one who heard what she said and glanced at her questioningly. Ell pointed at a large lantern with two red circles, which continuously switched light.

Nami’s eyes widened when she screeched at the rest of the crew, who tried to regain their composure.

**“BACK, BACK! TURN AROUND! 180 DEGREES!”**

This gained everyone’s attention as they all stared at the nearing vehicle – _Was that a train?_ – With growing mortification. While Sanji wondered what it was, Nami screamed at everyone to sail back.

While Usopp cried in fear, Zoro, Chopper Luffy, and Ell took the paddles and rowed back as fast as they could.

Ell could feel the boat start to shift and Usopp stopped screaming and came to their help. Nami still screamed out her orders, while Sanji made sure that none of the members on board would accidentally be thrown overboard.

Robin watched with wide eyes as the vehicle neared the boat more and more, tension building up.

Everyone paddled as fast and hard as they could, the vehicle nearing them more and more and as it was about to slam into the Going Merry, they were able to dodge it.

Seconds passed while many of them watched with flabbergasted expressions the vehicle pass them. Ell sighed in relief that they were able to dodge the incoming train, but the moment she was about to relax, her sense started to tingle.

Her head snapped in the direction of the frog, who stood before the train, ready to fight it. Ell winced when Luffy yelled at him from beside her, but she remained quiet, much like the rest of the crew as they watched the frog being hit by the train.

Everyone gasped as the train continued its way, the frog long gone now. Silence filled the atmosphere as everyone watched the train disappear in the distance. It was only when a squeaky voice out to their grandma that some pirates where there, that everyone snapped out of their shock to look beside them.

Ell watched with growing amusement as Zoro started to freak out at the fact that they had been spotted, the rest of the crew growing nervous as well.

An older woman walked out of the station, obviously drunk by the way she was slurring her words and ordered the child – _Chimney; Ell heard_ – to take the den-den mushi.

At this point, the whole crew was tense when the child ran with the den-den mushi towards the elderly woman. Ell seemed to be the only one who was relaxed and yawned loudly when she started to feel bored.

She ignored Usopp yelling at her and Nami's glare, focusing her attention on the grandma, who picked up the den-den mushi and started a conversation.

**“Hello? Uhm, what was it? I forgot …”**

At this point, the whole crew sweatdropped at the woman, wondering why such a drunkard was at a post like hers. Only Usopp was outraged by the fact that they had been so tense because of a drunkard, while the rest of the crew sighed in relief. Ell laughed at the boy, patting his shoulder in amusement, but he merely glared at her.

Ell decided to smile back solely, making him huff in irritation. It was at that moment Ell realized that if she ever grew too bored, she would be able to find a source of entertainment easily. An evil smirk appeared on her lips at that thought.

Usopp shuddered as he felt a mischievous aura behind him, but decided against commenting on it. He had just to make sure that if Ell seemed to need some sort of entertainment, he was on the other side of the ship.

After some introductions and Luffy claiming once again that he would become Pirate King, Nami asked Chimney about the vapor ship that had been practically the reason for their death.

Interested, Ell leaned onto the rail, eating some of the crispy biscuits Sanji had made for them and listened to Chimney’s explanation.

**“This is the only place in the world where you can find it. That’s a sea train, and we call it Puffing Tom.”**

While the little girl talked about the Puffing Tom, Ell took out her small notebook and started jotting down some information about the train that could be useful later down the line.

Robin watched from the sideline as the younger woman continuously nibbled on some biscuits, while animatedly writing down the information she was receiving. She also noticed that a small sketch accompanied the notes.

**“It spins its paddles with steam power and travels along the track upon the sea. It can transport passengers from island to island using the track under the water’s surface.”**

As Chimney continued to talk about the train, Ell began to wonder who would have been the genius behind such a creation.

She knew for a fact that Vegapunk wasn’t the one who did it since he was more of a scientist than anything else. As Ell was lost in thoughts, the crew talked with the younger girl about the train and its functions.

Ell was snapped out of her thoughts by the angered and exasperated voices of her crewmates. She looked up from where she was staring at her book, noting that Usopp was pointing at a warning pole and that Luffy looked exasperated about someone.

It was only when she tuned into their conversation, that she realized that they were talking about the frog.

**“Even if it is as dangerous as you say it is, he wouldn’t understand. That was cruel; you knocked him away. He was our prey.”**

Chimney looked momentarily confused before she finally understood whom their idiot captain was referring to.

**“Heh? You mean Yokozuna?”**

**“Yeah, the crawl stroke frog.”**

Chimney laughed at that, obviously amused by Luffy’s annoyance that his prey had been taken away from him. Robin and Ell chuckled at the boy’s conversation with Chimney, but listened in nonetheless, both intrigued by the mysterious frog which seemed to invoke a certain amount of irritation in the child.

**“Yokozuna won’t die from that. He’s the cause of great annoyance at this station. He loves to test his strength against the Sea Train. He’ll be back up in no time.”**

Ell hummed at that confirmation even though there was something that told her that it was more than just testing his strength against a train. If he really wanted to test his power, he would seek out way more experienced fighters than just a little train.

 _A mere train that seems to be able to knock out a seemingly trained frog_ , her thoughts supplied.

After a lengthy discussion of where they wanted to go and her friends finding out that Water 7 is an island renowned for its world best carpenters, the Straw Hats finally decided to head immediately there.

Well, more like Luffy decided to head there to recruit a carpenter as their new Nakama – _Ell seriously pitied Luffy’s next victim_ – and Usopp was obviously overjoyed because it meant that the Going Merry would survive.

Ell threw a sad glance in Usopp’s way because he obviously still thought that they would be able to save their ship and sail with her longer than what she was actually able to do.

She patted the mast in consideration, gritting her teeth together as a painful and sad melody filled the atmosphere. Chopper noticed that reaction and decided to follow their newest member to the stairs.

While the rest of the crew waited for Kokoro to come back, Chopper sat down beside Ell and shot her a worried look. Ell smiled sadly at the reindeer before she shook her head, telling him that she would talk about it when they weren’t so excited.

Ell did not want to destroy that little shimmer of hope in the crew’s heart to leave Water 7 with Going Merry. She knew that it would be destroyed soon enough.

After Kokoro gave Luffy a map of the island and an invitation letter and told them to seek out a man named Iceburg – _The mayor of Water 7, Ell murmured under her breath, which gained her a curious look from Chopper_ – to fix their ship, the crew sailed out to get to Water 7, full of hope to get their ship repaired.

Just before they left, Kokoro gave them the additional information that the Log needed a whole week to reload.

As they sailed in the direction of Water 7, everyone gathered around Sanji, who was sitting on the railing before the kitchen. Usopp was standing beside Ell, who seemed to be the only one not excited to reach the new island.

Usopp shrugged at the weird feeling he was getting and bickered with Sanji, Luffy, and Zoro about whom they were going to recruit.

Ell watched from the sidelines as she leaned against the wall, her grey eyes sprinkling with amusement and sadness. Through the bickering, Ell had to agree with Zoro.

It didn’t matter what they looked like, as long as they had skills, any carpenter would do.

**“The more important question is whether or not they would agree to join us.”**

Zoro noticed the pointed look Ell was giving him when he asked that question while the rest of the crew started to wonder how their new Nakama would look like or who they could be.

Zoro raised an eyebrow at the look Ell was giving him, but Ell only pointed at their captain and then shifted her finger towards him and then towards her.

Zoro quickly understood Ell’s silent message and sighed in fond exasperation. Ell was telling him that with Luffy, such a question was never going to play a significant role.

If he wanted someone on his crew, they would become part of it, whether they liked it or not. Ell laughed at the expression that crossed Zoro’s face but decided to refrain from commenting on it since she was the reason as to why he was sporting it in the first place.

Meanwhile, Nami had opened Kokoro’s map and thrown it back onto the floor in anger, and Luffy had drawn what their carpenter should look like, making both Usopp and Sanji tell him that if someone like that exists, they will both escape this crew.

And that just made Zoro wonder what they were talking about.

Ell noticed that Robin was the only one who was watching everything happen around her quietly, which made her frown in worry.

Ell hadn’t been that long with the mysterious woman, but she had quickly noticed that Robin was the type to distance herself from people she was fond of, probably to protect them from the world government.

How Robin didn’t notice that Luffy would do everything in his power to have his nakamas at his side, Ell didn’t know, but she knew that having to be on the run since such a young age must have some sort of consequences on the person.

Maybe Robin thought she wasn’t worth the effort?

If that was really what she believed, then she will have a huge surprise the moment she realizes that the crew is her new family and that they would do everything that they can to have her at their sides.

Ell was jerked out of her thoughts when Nami announced that she would distribute the allowance money to everyone, Ell couldn’t stop herself from laughing at the way the rest of the crew was fighting over who was going to be the first one to receive theirs.

After all the ordeal, everyone had scattered around the ship and Ell felt herself in need of some tea, so she stood up from her previous place at the front of the Going Merry and walked towards the kitchen.

When she arrived there, she heard Usopp and Luffy’s hopeful exclamation and Sanji’s warnings, which were soon forgotten by the duo as Zoro called out for them.

Ell walked up to Sanji with a sad expression and Sanji, being the gentleman he was, immediately inquired what was wrong. Ell looked towards Usopp before sighing and turning towards Sanji with a somber expression.

Sanji instantly grew severe and listened to what Ell had to say.

**“Sanji, the Going Merry will not be able to continue her adventure. She’s too broken to sail the rest of the Grand Line …”**

Sanji was tense after Ell had told him what she knew and he blew out a small amount of smoke, his eyes inquiring her not to lie. Ell shook her head at that and pointed at her ears and only muttered her Devil Fruit’s name.

Sanji blew out another smoke and gritted his teeth as he realized that the Going Merry was arriving at her end.

Ell put a hand on his shoulder and told him with a heavy heart what she knew he needed to hear.

**“You realized that too, the Going Merry is an East Blue ship. And believe me, even if I wasn’t here for long, the ship means something to me too. I’m sad I won’t be able to travel with her more than just that small adventure.”**

Sanji smiled sadly, but gratefully at the older woman and walked to his captain’s side. Ell muttered something in his ear, and Sanji nodded at that before she let him go and followed behind him.

This was going to a be a fierce chapter in their story, Ell knew and sighed when she realized that she had entirely given up on leaving them.

Maybe it was for the best for her, to be part of this crazy crew. She shook her head at her thoughts and decided to join the rest of the crew who started to marvel the beauty of the next island where they would stop.

Even though Ell was already here before, it didn’t stop the awe from appearing on her face as well, since that was what the definition of Water 7’s beauty.

As everyone else admired the working water island, Robin turned towards Ell, who was looking at the different numbers with a thoughtful expression.

Ell rapidly noticed that someone was looking at her, so she shifted her head to look around to see who was looking at her. Her eyes quickly met with Robin’s, who neared the blue-haired woman, now that she had her attention.

**“We wondered what the numbers on the walls meant, do you have any ideas?”**

Ell smiled at Robin and nodded, which gained everyone’s attention. Ell walked forward and took out her pen, holding it similarly as when they first introduced each other.

**“The numbers on the walls show the different docks, which are part of the Galley-La Company. You will be able to find Iceburg on Dock 1, which is not far away from his mansion. And Dock 1 has Galley-La’s finest shipwrights and carpenters, so this is where we should search for workers to … help us.”**

Many noticed the small pause that she made in her short explanation when she talked about helping the ship, but nobody thought much of it, excluding Sanji, who looked to the side at the pause.

Soon, the crew started to wonder where they should dock, since there seemed to be no apparent entry for ships. It was then when Luffy was sitting on Going Merry’s head that a stranger fisher warned them.

**“It is not good for pirates to enter through the front. Turn in that alley; it’s safer.”**

Thanking the fisher for his useful warning, the crew followed his advice and entered through the back alley, where they could marvel the work of the builders of this city.

Ell took out her notebook once again and drew some rough sketches of the city on the pages where she had written a small amount of information about the city.

Last time she was here, she had no time to do so since she had to quickly contact her fellow informant and get the information which she needed before fleeing the island.

Another stranger warned them that no pirates were allowed in these parts of the town, Usopp, and Ell wondering if everyone seemed to ask random pirates if they were there for robbery.

Ell shook her head at that and walked towards the back of the ship, where the tangerines were, watching the scenery go by.  They left the city and stopped just outside of the town, Luffy ordering everyone to raise the sails.

As Zoro followed his captain’s orders, he raised the sail, when he was suddenly met with some resistance. Putting his foot on the mast, he continued to pull the rope, when suddenly the mast broke and shifted forward.

Usopp, Luffy, and Sanji yelled at Zoro for his impudence, while Ell watched sadly. Zoro wondered if the Going Merry was damaged that much and when he made eye contact with Ell, she smiled sadly in affirmation.

Before Zoro could react to that new found information, Nami pondered over the fact that the inhabitants of Water 7 seemed not to be scared of pirates. She quickly tilted her head towards Ell, who shook her head from side to side.

Ell had asked herself the same question when she arrived, but she got no answer.

Nami sighed at that and turned back towards the crew. Zoro tried to give her an idea, but Usopp quickly scolded the green-haired man and told him to stop talking and start fixing what he had broken.

The rest of the crew tried to give Nami an idea by providing different approaches, but Ell had to admit that Robin’s logical reasoning was the most sound of all.

**“Maybe the shipwrights can fight?”**

Ell tried to supply her comment, but only Robin seemed to have listened to her, which made her sigh desperately.  Robin chuckled at that, and the whole crew was relaxed until they heard Luffy yell at them that they were going. Nami stopped the two of them and told them to follow her.

Ell decided to tune them out and shifted her attention towards the remaining crew.

She ignored the annoyed moss head, who pushed the mast back right, murmuring about Usopp being an idiot and just leaving him back alone, while Sanji waved towards Nami, telling her to be careful.

Robin turned towards Chopper, who seemed dejected because he lost his chance to go out, and reassured him that he would be able to go with her later on. This appeared to overjoy the little reindeer.

Ell smiled at them and turned once again to see the trio disappearing in the distance. She really hoped that Luffy or any of the leaving crewmembers would make any trouble. That was the last thing that they needed, now that they are here.

Although, something told her that trouble finds Luffy more often than not.


	7. Interesting ... what else is this city hiding?

Ell was growing bored and restless at the same time. The melody the Going Merry was giving off was darkening the more time passed, and there was absolutely nothing to do. It was tugging at her heartstrings, and she needed to get away.

Sanji had given her, her tea, which she had drunk quite quickly, but it did nothing to soothe Ell's feelings. And adding to that, both Sanji and Zoro haven't asked her if the ship was going to survive and continue sailing. And that could only mean one thing.

They still had hope for the ship. As the realization hit her, she sighed but decided to leave them be. It was their ship as much as it was hers. She watched Robin and Chopper leave the ship with a smile, while Zoro sat down on the front deck and started to nap again. She wandered from one side of the ship to the other, finding nothing noteworthy to do.

Deciding that she was going to go crazy if she remained here any longer when Sanji and Zoro were both there and could take care of the ship, she hopped off the boat after telling the swordsman that she was leaving.

And that is how she found herself wandering on a Yagara through the town, sightseeing as much as she could. She knew that she had to be back on the ship when she was needed, but for now, she decided that it was a good thing to enjoy her time here.

Seeing as there was no apparent activity she could partake in and actually enjoy, she rummaged through her small bag and took out a black den-den mushi and ordered him around, much like always.

**“Blackie, see if there is anything interesting happening around us. Everything that seems even slightly suspicious, you intercept.”**

The black den-den mushi rolled its eyes but did as she asked nonetheless. She attached it to her wrist, and while she listened to what he was intercepting, she took out another den-den mushi, this time, a baby one.

She had thought about getting a regular one, but it was firstly, way too expensive and secondly, way too inconvenient to transport around. And she didn’t need to have international calls since all she needed was a way to contact her fellow informants when they are in the region.

**“Psh – pirates arrived on the island, I hope they – Psh – _Oi, Conny, you heard about the new band of pirates which tried to get their reparation for free? The shipwrights did a good job by eliminating them!_ ”**

Ell’s head snapped towards Blackie, which the small snail took as an order to continue. Ell’s notebook was back out of her backpack and in her hands, the baby den-den mushi crawling in her lap.

**“Psh –**

**Yeah, I heard, Laya! Lucci is soooo hot! And Paulie was the one who warned them again! Oh My God! I cannot stop myself from fangirling about them! KYAAAAA!**

**– Psh –**

**_Conny, don’t forget Lulu and Tilestone! Oooh, I wish I would be able to date them! Imagine them protecting you when you are in danger!_ **

**– Psh –**

**I know right? Oh by the way – Psh –“**

As soon as Ell heard the end of the conversation, she went to her notebook and jotted down what she found was important and interesting. For one, the fact that the shipwright can indeed fight and are renowned for it was a piece of interesting information.

She even got names: Lucci, Paulie, Lulu, and Tilestone.

**“Psh – Hey, dude! Are you sure you want to do this?”**

Ell raised her hand, telling Blackie to continue eavesdropping on the conversation. Her notebook was still safely in her hand, as she motioned to the Yagara to go towards a place where fewer people would be likely to hear what she was hearing.

**“Psh – I don’t know, man … are you sure it will impress the ladies? I mean, I saw how Kaku took on the Pirates today with the rest of the shipwrights, and I’m sure it will end – Psh –“**

Another name. Good, this eavesdropping was taking them somewhere. She motioned to Blackie to continue searching while she noted down the other name beneath the list of names that had been mentioned.

Momentarily ignoring the blabbering snail, she listened in to the melody of the surrounding wooden objects, trying to find a tune that told her someone was following her or eavesdropping on her eavesdropping.

However, she got nothing, as she noted that the majority of her surrounding was done in stone, meaning that the wooden objects wouldn’t be able to help her. She sighed loudly and closed her eyes, trying to get a picture of her surroundings.

The baby den-den mushi started to grow bored as well and started to slowly fall asleep, ignoring his master, who was concentrating on her surroundings.

Ell was able to feel different people surrounding her, but only because they were going to go to the water elevator, where her Yagara seems to be taking her as well. The only other noteworthy presence, was one of her crewmates, not so far away from where she was.

Deciding that she had enough, she closed off her ability to see around her and put her concentration back towards the black den-den mushi.

**“Psh – Come on, Saffy! – Psh – Another one, huh? What are the costs? – Psh – 300’000’000 berries! That’s how much all that gold was estimated!”**

Ell tilted her head to the side and wondered who would have an amount of 300’000’000 berries of gold on them when she suddenly remembered the amount of gold Nami had been so fiercely protecting.

A curious expression crossed her face when she nodded at Blackie to skip that conversation. That would be more than enough to get a new ship.

When suddenly, Blackie stopped, Ell nodded at the snail and hid it back in his shell, where she could hear him hum gratefully. Putting the sleeping snail back onto her bag, where she hid it in a wooden box, she turned towards the sleeping baby den-den mushi.

**“Yosh! Let’s see if 991 is available, Snail-den!”**

A small protesting sound came from the snail, which made Ell ponder why she had gotten such lazy and sassy snails when she suddenly heard a very excited voice answer her call.

**“ONE-SAMA, YOU ARE BACK IN TOWN?”**

Ell shook her head in amusement as she remembered exactly why. It was because they were the best performers for the small jobs she gave them. She smiled gratefully to the snail, before answering the man’s question.

**“I am, Two-san. Anything new for me? Should I pass by or is the Franky Family, once again, causing you some troubles?”**

A laugh was her answer as he told her that everything was fine, since the last time she came and took care of the troubles.

As she finally arrived in the central part of Water 7, she told the Yagara to go to Dock 1, where her friends should be. She had felt them there earlier.

**“So, how’s Mimy-chan doing?”**

**“Oh, Mimy is doing just fine, only tired. You know, with the baby coming.”**

Ell laughed at that and happily continued to talk with Two, another informant in her circle. Two was his codename, but also a nickname she had given him because he had tried to win against her and it took her two good punches to put him down.

Something Two would prefer not to be reminded of, of course.

**“Well, that is good for you, Two-san, but I need to go. My crewmates are not far from here, and since you have nothing noteworthy for me, I shall not disturb you too much.”**

**“As if you care about shit like that. Goodbye then, One-sama.”**

The man was right, not that she was going to admit it. Now, let’s see who the hell her crewmates were talking to. Someone who looked a lot like Usopp, only in square format, Ell hummed under her breath.

As she neared the dock, she noticed that her Yagara was growing tired. Remembering an older lady telling her that Water Water Meat was something they loved eating, she took one out of her bag and gave it to the Yagara.

The Yagara munched on his food happily, and she left him there as she approached her three crewmembers. They didn’t notice her, unlike the Square-Usopp, who was looking at her with narrowed eyes.

Not that her captain noticed that since he was too engrossed with the fact that he looked like Usopp to see such a small change.

**“Yo guys! Who are you talking to?”**

And that was when they finally noticed her behind Nami, who thought it was a good idea to shriek in surprise before punching her head as a lecture.

Ell mumbled something along the lines of ‘violent woman’ when she heard Luffy ask her what she was doing here.

**“Thought it was a good idea to do some sightseeing. Now, who might you be mister?”**

Ell turned her question towards the man who had been standing before her. However, she quickly noticed that he wasn’t standing there anymore. He had run away.

Deciding that it wasn’t important, she turned towards her friend when suddenly another voice interrupted her.

**“He’s one of dock 1’s shipwright foremen, called the mountain wind because he likes to roam the city freely. His name is Kaku.”**

As soon as those words left the man’s lips, Ell had sketched a rough drawing of how he looked beside his name, noting down the small amount of information she had gotten from the mysterious voice.

As she looked back up, she froze mid-step as came face to face with a person she would have loved never to see again.

**“Kalifa?”**

Both women stood frozen before each other, one out of surprise, the other one out of both shock and fear. Ell gulped at the blond woman, her crewmates and Iceburg – _She had found a picture of him in town and quickly drawn him in her notebook_ –, ignoring the two women in favor of talking with each other.

Ell suddenly straightened her posture, and coughed in her hand, making sure to mention a small amount of information to her while doing so, before shifting her attitude to a more relaxed one, since she had the upper hand here.

And for numerous reasons too. Opening her notebook once again, she quickly wrote down the newly acquired information about the other woman, before deciding that there was nothing more for her here.

Kalifa was obviously glaring at her, and her crewmates would be able to talk with Iceburg while she was away, feeding her Yagara.

At least that was what she thought when she suddenly came back to having a panicking Usopp and Nami, who were looking for something. And as soon as she heard Usopp yell out that some thieves should give them back their money, she felt one of her eyebrows twitch in annoyance.

**“Franky Family …”**

Her voice was low, but before anyone could react to it, someone jumped on the Yagaras and kicked the Franky Workers away into the water. She could hear the sigh of relief leaving Nami and Usopp’s lips, which made her glare at them.

She slowly turned towards the two of them and grumbled angrily.

**“You need to be a lot more attentive to your goddamn money because of people like the Franky Family! Handcuff the cases to your wrists if needed, but never let it get out of your sights!”**

Both Usopp and Nami were frozen in fear at the ominous aura. Ell was projecting, while Kalifa narrowed her eyes at the woman.

Ell decided to ignore the secretary and huffed in annoyance. However, as she noticed that the man that had landed on the two fleeing Yagaras was not returning, anger once more took over.

**“Luffy. Snatch that guy, or I’ll make sure he won’t be able to walk anymore.”**

Her threat was ignored, when another man stopped Luffy from following her order – _Was that really a thing? A subordinate ordering her captain around?_ – and jumped onto the ship, taking the other man’s ear in his fist.

Ell inhaled deeply, trying to calm herself down, when she heard the blonde man curse the black-haired male with the pigeon – _Lucci and how the heck hadn’t she noticed the pigeon before?_.

As they arrived, Nami and Usopp started cursing Luffy out that he seemed not to care enough about **THEIR** money that had been stolen. Ell would have joined the duo, but she was buys sketching the man’s face in her notebook. As she looked up from it, she saw him look at her with narrowed eyes as well.

And that seemed like a bad thing to happen. Deciding that she could play it off quickly, she drew him entirely and ripped the page out. She saw him raise an eyebrow at her, making her chuckle nervously.

She really hoped it worked. As the man arrived at the dock, he gripped the blonde’s ear again, while Iceburg apologized for his worker’s idiocy. Lucci’s pigeon – _she needed to get his name somehow_  – ordered the blonde man – _Paulie and why did that pigeon need to have such a high pitched voice?!_ – to apologize.

Meanwhile, Iceburg had explained to the Straw Hats that the Franky Family was a scrapyard company and dismantled entire pirate crews, to be able to sell the scraps of reusable timber.

Ell remained at Luffy’s side when Paulie neared him with the two cases full of money, which Lucci had thrown at him when he was lying on the floor, a mischievous expression on his face.

Ell narrowed her eyes at him at the same time as she put her notebook back into her bag. As she suspected, Paulie apologized to Luffy for trying to take his money and asked afterward a 10% of the whole amount as a price for getting it back to them.

Which gained Paulie a hammer to the head, while Lucci’s pigeon apologized to Luffy. Ell took that moment to near the older man and smiled gratefully at him.

She saw his eyes narrow at her approach, but if she wanted a majority of his suspicions to get away, she needed to do this. She lifted her hand up and showed Lucci her sketch of him, jumping onto the Yagaras, a little blush on her face.

**“I’m sorry I sketched you, but I cannot refrain myself from drawing hot guys … I hope you will take that sketch as a compensation for my … decision to draw you?”**

She heard the crew behind her gasp in surprise at her confession, while Lucci merely raised an eyebrow at her. She felt the blush intensify on her cheeks, so she looked to the side and lifted the picture higher.

She felt Lucci take it and the pigeon whistle at something when Usopp suddenly stated his feelings bluntly.

**“We never knew that you liked to draw hot guys, Ell-chan.”**

Ell couldn’t stop herself from lashing out at poor Usopp, who looked torn between laughing at her embarrassment and fearing for his life at the anger, obviously present.

**“I never told you because it is embarrassing to admit that I like to draw hot guys and hot chicks, merely because I’m not confident in my own skin! ”**

Silence filled the atmosphere as Ell huffed angrily, her cheeks still tainted red by her blush. She crossed her arms and glared at Luffy who was laughing loudly at her and telling her that they don’t care how she looks. Afterward, Ell purely heaved out a sigh, not looking at Kalifa, nor Lucci.

**“It is quite an accurate sketch you have there, ma’am. And you did it in mere minutes?”**

Ell turned around to face Lucci’s pigeon, who looked at her with a fascinated expression. The blush still hadn’t subsided, but Ell nodded nonetheless, wondering why that interested him. A small hum accompanied her response, as Lucci folded the picture neatly and put it in one of his pockets.

Before anyone could react though, Paulie was back on his feet and cursed Lucci out, once again. Ell let out a relieved sigh and drew Paulie and Lucci’s face once again, this time making sure that no one noticed her action. She wasn’t prone to be embarrassed a second time today. A look towards Kalifa told her that the blonde woman was on the verge of laughing by her discovery as well.

**“I swear, Kalifa, if you laugh, I will tell everyone about that one time and trust me, I remember everything very, VERY, clearly.”**

Kalifa immediately tensed at that, her eyes wide and mouth agape, probably because she thought that Ell was too embarrassed about that one experience to talk about it openly. Ell grinned at the woman, showing Kalifa that she wasn’t embarrassed the least about what had happened at their first and last meeting, 3 years ago.

Unknown to the two women, Lucci was watching the two intently, wondering what had gone down between the two of them, to make Ell have the upper hand in an argument against Kalifa. As his black eyes wandered to Kalifa’s face, he noticed that a small blush was accompanied by an angry facial expression. Ell, on the other hand, looked very smug and knew that she was winning this argument.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings Readers
> 
> Thank you for reading my story, I appreciate it a lot. 
> 
> Small Information: One-sama = 1-sama, not Onee-sama.
> 
> Thought I should clear that up.
> 
> Once again, thank you for tuning in and see you next time!


	8. Everything going wrong ... very wrong

After Lucci and Paulie’s fight – _where Ell had whistled loudly at the blatant display of power Lucci was showing_ – and the pigeon finally introducing himself – _why did he start his introduction by saying that he was Rob, but changed his mind at the last second? Strange …_ – as Hattori the Pigeon and Lucci as Rob Lucci.

Nami seemed to have the same question in mind, but before Ell could say anything about how suspicious that was, Nami had pinned it down as Lucci being able to use ventriloquism. Ell tilted her head and considered that it might even be true.

Maybe that man was indeed a ventriloquist. A very talented one that is.

Paulie was laughing at his co-worker when suddenly, he stared at both Ell and Nami with gaping mouth and a shocked expression.

Ell raised an eyebrow at the blonde man but decided that whatever he was going to say, she was going to ignore it. She hoped that Nami would have the same idea since he was obviously a moron.

**“You are shameless! You have your legs exposed! This is a place where men work!”**

_Okay, nevermind, I will teach him a lesson_ , Ell thought when she raised her fist, her facial expression contorting into one of anger. Her crewmembers watched with wide eyes as the seemingly calm and relaxed woman changed into an angered beast before their eyes.

**“Is that so, Paulie- _kun_. Who are  YOU to tell women what they should wear, huh? And don’t come with the excuse that men are stronger because I WILL break all the bones in your body without lifting a hand.”**

It was silent after she spoke, a threatening smile frozen on her lips as Ell glared at the blonde. It was evident to everyone around that if Paulie said one thing that did not pass by Ell, he would end up beaten and broken.

**“Ma’am, please refrain from hurting our workers. Even if he is a moron, he’s still one of our best. Thank you.”**

Ell glanced at the talking pigeon and huffed, glaring one last time at Paulie, before looking away and strutting back towards her crewmates. Both Usopp and Luffy looked slightly pale, while Nami just nodded at the older woman.

Ell sighed and replicated the nod, stopping behind the three and ignoring all discussion that was going on around her.

Ell looked towards the Yagaras and saw them playfully fight with each other, which made a small smile appear on her lips. Sometimes, she wished she could have been born an animal. An animal without any worries about the outside world, not on the run for something she never did.

A tired sigh left her lips as she watched both Paulie and Lucci open the gigantic gate towards the shipyard and as she looked around, she wondered why they didn’t just jump over the wooden fence.

As she looked back towards Iceburg to inquire an answer, she noticed a proud glint in his eyes and posture, telling her that he had been showing off the whole time. She shook her head in exasperation, but she couldn’t stop herself from smiling. Iceburg was obviously proud of his foremen and his shipyard. No wonder that he wanted to show them off.

As they entered the shipyard, Ell momentarily closed her eyes and listened to the surrounding melody the wooden objects were giving off.

The ships that were in the process of being built, the wooden beams that were being cut to the right shape, the very souls of the timber was giving off a pure, joyful melody, lulling Ell towards it. She ignored everyone, in favor of the soothing melody, when she noticed that a small part of it sounded sad.

It was out of place, it didn’t belong there, but the timber seemed to have realized that some workers had an ulterior motive than just working for Iceburg. A frown was on her face as she followed the mayor through the shipyard.

Something was wrong.

And something horrible was going to happen soon, which will have a massive impact on the Galley-La. She merely hoped that they were strong enough to survive it.

If Ell had been more careful with her surroundings, she would have noticed that both Kalifa and Lucci were glancing at her every so often. But alas, she was too engrossed in the soothing melody to notice it, too lost in her search of what was wrong and why there was such an undertone.

She noticed that the melody seemed to point at Lucci and Kalifa in particular, but she couldn’t, for the life of her, figure out what the timber was trying to tell her.

Deciding that she wouldn’t be able to figure it out now, she let the melody become a part of the surrounding noises of the workers and focused back onto the discussions that were going on around her.

Kalifa was explaining to them that, 5 years ago, Iceburg reunited the 7 companies that had been working against each other with his mere talent and that he was the most well-known idol on this island.

Ell nodded at that, she had noticed how as soon she mentioned Iceburg, the people around this island started to chatter excitedly with each other, trading gossip and shit like that with each other. As Kalifa finished her explanation, Luffy had walked forward already and slapped his hand onto the mayor’s back.

A sweatdrop appeared on her head at the obvious lack of discipline Luffy was showing, but she knew that that was just how Luffy was. A total Goofball.

However, Iceburg seemed to grow serious when he suddenly asked if he heard right that there was a woman named Nico Robin on their ship. Ell scanned the mayor’s face which seemed only to give off seriousness.

A frown marred her face as she wondered what Robin’s presence on their ship could mean to him.

It was not like they knew each other, right? Ell shook her head at that and decided to remain at Nami’s side when both Usopp and Luffy went visiting the shipyard. Not minutes after the two of them left, she felt Kaku come back from his adventure to the ship in a hurried manner.

When Paulie noticed Kaku, Nami did as well and asked him about the ship. Ell bit her lip at that and looked to the side at that, gaining the attention of every shipwright. As Luffy excitedly told him that they had enough money to pay for them, the atmosphere grew tenser by the minute.

She put a hand on Nami’s shoulder as she was about to ask what was wrong, shaking her head.

A confused expression was on Nami’s face as her eyes wandered to Kaku for information. Kaku looked down, before looking back up and nodding at Ell. Ell nodded again and let go of Nami’s shoulder, going to the three cases of money.

**“I’ll tell you straight-out. Even with our skills, the ship cannot be repaired. The keel is damaged beyond repair.”**

Denial. That was the first emotion Nami had when she heard the news. Ell sighed at that and looked up to the sky, hoping that it wouldn’t be too harsh on the crew. She had a feeling that Zoro had been warned as well and Sanji knew about it because she told him.

Luffy remained silent as Nami turned sharply towards her, desperate hope shining in her eyes.

**“Ell! You can fix the ship, right? And you said that timber had a certain melody, right? The Going Merry had a happy one, right?”**

The shipwrights looked towards Ell in surprise, but Ell only shook her head. There was no way for her to fix it since she did not know how to fix a ship.

**“Nami … if the shipwrights cannot fix the Going Merry, what can I possibly do? And yes, Going Merry had a happy melody, but it was laced with the sound of the end the whole time! Even the ship knows that her end is near. Let us bury her in peace and not disgrace her destruction by continuing sailing her and us to our deaths.”**

Nami paled considerably at that, which made Ell sigh sadly. She hugged the woman to her, as Nami let the frustration and realization that they would have to let the Going Merry go, crash down upon her. Iceburg nodded at what the blue-haired woman told Nami. Luffy was still quiet, which was only an indication for trouble. Huge trouble.

Ell let go of Nami and patted her shoulder, telling her that everything was going to be alright. However, she could still feel the denial in both Luffy and Nami as they started to argue with the shipwrights about repairing Merry. Ell wanted to tell them that it was impossible, but she knew that they would ignore her words too. They loved the ship too much to let her go. Way too much.

Ell sighed once more as she sat down beside the cases and listened to both Nami and Luffy trying to convince the shipwrights to help them repair Merry. Ell opened her notebook and started to sketch a picture of Merry in all of her glory, knowing that it would help them calm down.

Ell suddenly tensed when she felt a familiar presence at the gates and sprung to her feet. She took both Nami and Luffy with the suitcases and hid behind the stacked wooden beams, making sure to be hidden from sight as another shipwright appeared and told them that World Government agents were waiting for Iceburg.

Ell narrowed her eyes at that and waited for the Agents to go. Paulie quickly turned towards their old place and was about to warn them, but stopped when he noticed that nobody was standing there anymore. He frowned at that and looked around, only to see that they were already hiding.

**“Iceburg-san, I see that you are here today.”**

Ell gritted her teeth together at the disgusting voice, but it wasn’t him that she had felt earlier. It was that man she had fought on Rasberry Island. Where the hell could he possibly be, if he wasn’t beside those cowardly agents?

**“Ooh, Rob Lucci, it has been a while, hasn’t it? Are you up to a drinking contest with me?”**

Ell tensed up tremendously behind the timber beams, as the man’s voice reached her ears. How the fuck does a marine, not from this island, know a foreman shipwright? Unless they are both parts of the same organization. Ell quickly wrote down her thoughts and stiffened when Hattori responded.

**“Last time we did it, you destroyed half of the city, Draco-san. Iceburg-san was very mad at you.”**

The man – _Draco, Ell knew him, they had fought on equal grounds because he wasn’t using his entire strength_ – laughed sheepishly at that and apologized, following Gordi and Iceburg to a more private place. Ell sighed in relief when she felt him leave and wondered how he had been able to hide his presence from her as he entered the shipyard with the World Government Agents.

It was then that she heard both Luffy and Nami scream on top of their lungs, making Ell jump and fall out of her hiding place, covering her ears to protect them from the loud sound. Ell felt the stress built up in her body, and she knew that very little could possibly make her snap, but as she was about to do so, she was faced with two empty cases.

And that could only mean one thing: The money was stolen ... and Usopp disappeared entirely.

**“I swear, if this daily amount of stress is what I get for joining the crew, I will willingly drown myself …”**

Ell groaned tiredly, her head starting to spin with everything that was happening around her. She must have been used to it since that was the pace of her life before, but since she arrived in the crew – _unwillingly_ – she was able to relax.

A lot.

And before she knew it, Hattori had blamed Paulie for getting the money, which he ardently protested against and the new man, who had a piece of hair sticking out on one side of his head  – _Lulu_ – asked Kaku what business he had with the Franky Brothers.

To which Kaku simply replied that he had nothing to do with them and Nami realized that they had been talking about Usopp.  _If that isn't spelling trouble, I don't know what is ..._ , Ell thought angrily. 

And that was when Luffy ran off to find the Franky Family and Nami ran off to warn the others. Ell was the only one left behind, which made her exhale tiredly. She took the two suitcases with her as she slowly exited the shipyard, making sure that Draco was nowhere around here.

She knew that he must have felt her when she was with Luffy and Nami behind the beams, and it made her question as to why he didn’t point it out to the World Government agents but thanked him either way. He must have had a plan, or he would have pointed them out. That’s the only logical explanation she was able to come up with. When she arrived where the Yagaras where stationed, the only one that was left was hers.

Nami must have taken the last one to get back to the ship. Ell shook her head, knowing that she still thought that she would be able to save Merry by strengthening her with all the money they have. Ell shook her head as she lazily sat down on it and pointed at the direction of the coast where their ship was docked.

**“Get back to the Bull Center. As fast as you can.”**

Ell gripped the edges of the small boat and the two suitcases, letting the Yagara take her where she had ordered it to go. Seconds passed and formed into minutes, when she finally stopped at the entrance, where she nodded at the man, giving him back the Yagara, before running out of the city, her eyes shadowed by her hair.

She noticed that her friends were not far away from where she was, and she was about to yell at them to wait for her when she noticed that they were surrounding an unconscious figure.

Her heart stopped beating when she recognized Usopp. She slowly approached them, making no sound, as per usual, anger slowly building up. However, this wasn’t the comical kind of anger she had when she had yelled at them to get the money.

No, this anger was darker, filled with more bloodlust. The four crewmates around Usopp noticed her, thanks to the dense aura that was starting to surround her.

**“Who?”**

Everyone remained silent as Ell questioned them, but she didn’t need an answer. She knew who did it. Her fists tightened around the suitcases as Chopper checked up on him, telling them that he was only unconscious, but heavily wounded.

**“We’re gonna bring that screwed-up house down.”**

Everyone agreed with Luffy. That house needed to go down. In the most brutal fashion ever. As they slowly approached the house, everyone remembered some memories with Usopp. Ell looked back on the first time she had a proper talk with him.

It had been about his homeland and everything that had happened back there. He had told her about all the pranks he had come up with to get the attention of the village. It made her remember a time where she, like him, played all sorts of pranks on her mentor, to have a good laugh. They had shared stories and laughed together. Usopp had accepted her and become her prank partner and rival.

She hummed lightly as she slowly started to modify the form of Franky House.

They were going to pay for whatever they had done to Usopp. And the money was coming back, no matter what. A dark smirk appeared on her lips. They will remember quite clearly who she was the moment the house will start to transform on its own.

And they WILL freak out.

They were standing before the door when one of the small giants of the Franky Brothers opened the door. Only to get Luffy’s fist in his face and break the entrance. A cloud of dust surrounded the five of them and Ell patted Sanji’s shoulder, telling him that she will go from behind.

Sanji nodded at the woman, watching her disappear in the dust cloud. Even with their surroundings being entirely silent, her steps made, once again, no sound and she was able to slip between the ranks of the Franky Brothers.

As Ell finally arrived at the backdoor, she placed the two suitcases before it and waited for the dust to settle down, allowing her to enjoy the shocked reaction coming from the Franky Family as they realized that Straw Hat Luffy has knocked down their door. With his strongest Nakamas in tow.

**“It’s Mugiwara no Luffy!”**

One of the Franky Brothers had shrieked in fear, stating the obvious to his brothers. She could hear all of them gulp audibly as fear begun to stain every one of their facial expression, making her chuckle humourlessly. Which, in turn, gained her the thieves’ attention, this time, everyone shrieking in fear at the sight of her leaning against one of their walls.

**“I-it’s … ELL MANDERVILL–SAMA!”**

Ell remained silent as the newer addition to the Franky Family seemed to totally ignore the elders’ warnings and walked towards the men in front, ignoring her. Ell tch’ed at that and pushed herself off the wall, taking one of the two suitcases with her.

She ignored the giant who was obviously mocking her captain and concentrated on another one, who was about to attack her crew. Ell jumped in the air, the black case in her left hand and raised over her right shoulder.

Surprised shouts followed her action, and they all saw her slam the case into the giant’s skull, making the man crash through the wall of their house, leaving behind a huge hole, where bits of wood started to take on the shape of a variation of weapons.

They tried to shoot her nakamas as well, but Zoro intercepted them with his _Santoryuu: Karasuma Gari_ (Crow’s Dark Hunt) and cut the canons in two as well, leaving the Franky Brothers flabbergasted. Ell smiled at that.

When you are a swordsman (or woman), cutting through iron is a goal to achieve. Without it, you cannot further your knowledge. It seems like Zoro was approaching his goal with wide footsteps. Ell watched from her place as the Franky Family started to panic, all running away to the back, where the other suitcase was lying.

She threw the suitcase she had in hand at the other case, making it explode and stop the fleeing men in the process. She observed with a gleeful expression as Sanji landed with his hand on one of them, teaching the scared men a fundamental lesson.

**“Never start a fight you can’t finish. _Party Table … Kick Course!_ ”**

And with that, he kicked everyone out of his way and away from the back, where Ell decided to use the leftovers of the wooden wall and make them into some more weapons.

She made sure that they weren’t sharp in any way but would hurt the men a lot upon impact. Slowly, while the Franky Family tried to escape from various location, she let the weapons surround the house and made sure that they were ready for the big finale.

Meanwhile, Chopper used one of his rumble balls to achieve his _Horn Point_ and knock out the men who were fleeing in his direction, leaving only a small portion of the Franky Family standing.

Ell slowly made her way towards her crew, her hands over her head as a way of warning her crewmembers of what was to come. She saw all four of them, who were standing one beside the other, nod and she grinned brightly.

**“W-w-w-w-w-w-wait a minute guys! The money, heh? Is that what you want? The 200’000’000 berries that the wimp had? I’m sorry to say that it’s not here anymore! Our boss, Franky, took it and went shopping! We only deal in the black market, so we don’t even know where he is! To put it simply, no matter what you do to us, you can’t get your 200’000’000 berries back–“**

Further, the man did not arrive because Luffy punched him in the face, making him go crash into the wall. Ell saw her captain glance at her, telling her to wait. She merely nodded as she let a feral smirk wander on her lips. The others all looked very serious as Sanji started speaking.

**“Enough talk. That is not the reason for all of this.”**

Zoro followed suit:

**“Yeah, it’s too late.”**

Ell continued with a cold, yet optimistic tone:

**“We are not here for the money.”**

Luffy was the one to finish their assembled speech.

**“You can kiss your asses goodbye.”**

This surprised everyone, but the Franky Brothers were not to be intimidated that quickly, it seems. Ell hummed in glee as they attacked them, dodging what they were sending at them. As she looked in her captain’s direction, where Sanji, Chopper, Zoro, and Luffy were fighting up close, she saw him nod.

**“That was what I was waiting for, Captain!”**

It was the only warning the Franky Brothers got when Ell suddenly let her raised hand down, the four men of the crew jumping out of Ell’s attack’s way. Ell, on the other hand, exclaimed the name of her attack loudly, making all of the men around her scream in fear and pain. A sadistic smirk appeared on her lips, her eyes glinting dangerously.

**“ _Hell Fire_ ”**

And that was when all hell broke loose. The ones who were still standing after Ell’s attack – _she had to praise those men slightly, it wasn’t every day that a band of misfits were able to withstand her weakest attack_ – were quickly knocked out by an angered Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Chopper.

In the end, they destroyed the whole house with an explosion, leaving all five of them unscathed.

Ell stretched her arms and moaned in delight as she heard her ankles make a popping sound. She ignored the crying and unconscious men around her and solely concentrated her attention on Sanji and Zoro, who were wondering where their money went and knew that even if they found Franky, that guy would have probably finished his shopping either way.

Luffy was standing on the fallen moon of the building and Chopper had gone back and taken care of Usopp’s injuries.

**“The problem is that we have to worry about the money that had been taken from us, Nami-san, who’s still alone on the ship, Robin-chan, who disappeared so suddenly and what we are going to do with the Going Merry.”**

Ell nodded at what Sanji said, knowing that Usopp will have a hard time leaving Merry behind. It was after all the reason why he went fighting the Franky Brother alone. He wanted to get the money back to save her.

**“I’ve decided what we are going to do with the ship.”**

Ell perked up at that, and her head snapped in her captain’s direction in interest. The last time they were talking about Merry, he was trying to get the shipwrights to repair the Going Merry. Well, he had a lot of time to think about it, between the search after Usopp and the fight with the Franky Family.

**“We are going to say goodbye to the Going Merry.”**


	9. Goodbye Usopp and Hello Trouble

The crew was back upon the Going Merry when Chopper came running out of the infirmary and told them that Usopp was awake. Everyone seemed relieved at that, but Ell had the feeling that right now was just the beginning of a complicated chapter of their life.

Most importantly, she knew that Usopp wasn’t going to let go of the Going Merry that easily. Not if they didn’t give him a good reason to. And even with that good reason, she wasn't sure if he would listen.

Ell decided to remain at the entrance, as Usopp began to apologize for being such a burden. She wanted to hit him for thinking like that, but she knew that it would be too much, knowing that they would have to reveal to him that they were getting a new ship.

She looked to the side when Luffy told him what they were going to do after the Sanji and Zoro had scolded him for charging in like that alone.

As she saw Usopp’s expression, she knew that starting now, things were going to go south. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it, watching with an impassive expression as the fight between Luffy and Usopp started to worsen. She knew that if this was going to continue like this, one of them would injure themselves.

They were both angry and yelling things at each other, which Ell knew they would later regret. But they both were stubborn and weren't going to give up their standpoint. 

As their argument grew, Luffy jumped on Usopp and yelled at him that he wasn’t the only one suffering and Luffy was about to tell him to pack his stuff when Sanji kicked him, making him crash into the desk at the other side of the cabin.

Everyone remained silent as Luffy apologized, but Usopp refused to acknowledge them when he started talking in a very determined manner.

**“Any Nakama who can’t pull their weight gets cut loose and left behind. If you are gonna do this to Merry, then do it to me too.”**

Ell frowned at that, knowing that was how some crew worked and she felt some disappointment start to rise, but she pushed it to the side when she realized that Usopp was simply angry. Angry at himself, at them, for letting Merry go so easily. Upset that he wouldn’t be able to save their beloved boat.

**“Oi, Usopp. Don’t say such stupid things!”**

Sanji tried to change his mind, but Ell watched Usopp’s back, and she knew that he wasn’t going to change his opinion on this. Not before he got enough time to think about it.

**“No, I mean it. I’ve done a lot of thinking about it.”**

The room was silent; everyone waiting to hear what Usopp was going to say next. Ell had a feeling that it was going to become very personal. That he was going to admit something he probably never wanted to acknowledge at all.

**“To tell the truth, I’ve known that I could never be as incredible as you guys. Just today, I couldn’t even handle guarding some money. Where you’re headed, I’ll be nothing more than a burden.”**

Usopp stood up, obviously in pain, but determined to finish saying what he had to say. Without any interruption, not that he was going to get any from the shocked crewmembers.

**“You don’t need a weak Nakama, right? Luffy … You’re the one who’ll become the Pirate King, right? Well, as for me, I don’t need to go that far. Come to think of it; just when I was about to set sail, you invited me to join you. That’s the only relationship we have. There is no reason to sail together knowing that we have different purposes!”**

Ell looked to the side, knowing that everything Usopp was saying was because he was angry, ashamed, sad and hurt in many ways. As he finished his speech, he turned around and faced Ell, who was blocking his way.

She locked eyes with him one last time, before pushing herself off the door and leaving him enough room to go.

And leaving was what he did. He warned them that he was none of their business anymore and that he was leaving the crew. Ell cringed at that, knowing that if he had been in a different crew, he would have been brutally murdered for daring to say such things.

Zoro noticed this and put a hand on her shoulder, to try and reassure their newest member.

As he did so, Nami, Sanji and Chopper tried to follow him, but the door closed in on them, leaving the three shocked by what had just happened. Ell turned around and proposed Luffy a hand to stand up, which he accepted, a somber expression on his face.

Nami seemed to be the first one to come back to her senses, and she started telling Luffy that he should go after Usopp. Ell closed her eyes and knew that Luffy wouldn’t do it.

Even if Nami begged him, he had pride as a captain to maintain. And if letting one of his nakamas leave was what he had to do, he would do so. Even after Nami told him that he was the captain and that was why he should go after his Nakama, he didn’t react.

Well, the others thought he didn’t, only Ell felt him tighten his grip because their hands were still connected. She showed no signs that he was hurting her and she knew that he was grateful for that.

Ell observed Nami, Chopper, and Sanji run out of the ship, screaming for Usopp to come back. Zoro and her were the only one to realize the magnitude of the situation at hand. Her eyes wandered towards Zoro, who had his eyes closed, probably to hide the fact that Usopp’s departure was hitting him hard as well.

Luffy let go of Ell’s hand and walked out of the door, Zoro following him. Ell remained behind and shook her hand, as the pain finally registered. She cursed lowly at the pain, leaning against the wall when she suddenly heard Usopp scream at Luffy.

**“I CHALLENGE YOU TO A DUEL!”**

Ell’s eyes widened when she realized that the worst had just happened. Usopp had committed mutiny. Something intolerable in the world of piracy. She slammed her fist to the floor, hoping that the pain could diminish that way, but it never faded away.

When she looked down at her hand, she saw that Luffy’s hand marks were on it, red and obviously bruising.

A string of curses left her lips once again, as she rummaged through her backpack to find the pair of fingerless gloves she had put away earlier this day. She quickly put them on and hoped that none of her crewmates would notice.

They had already enough to worry about.

–

The duel started later that night, around 10 o’clock. Everyone on the crew was tense and worried. They all knew that if Luffy and Usopp had to fight seriously, Luffy would come out as the winner. Everyone except for Luffy and Ell were in the room where Luffy and Usopp had fought earlier.

Ell had heard Nami try to convince Luffy that this was a bad idea, but Luffy simply told her to leave. Luffy was standing not far away from the Going Merry, when he turned his head around and ordered them firmly, resolved to do it on his own.

**“You remain on the ship and don’t come down. Got that?”**

It was at that moment that Usopp appeared from behind a cloud of dust. Ell was leaning against Zoro, who never commented on that. He let her do it, and Ell was grateful for that.

As the fight started, Usopp tried to torment Luffy with lies, but that didn’t work on anyone besides Chopper, who was the only one on the ship who seemed pretty deranged by what their sniper was saying. And after that, Usopp began to become serious. Ell had heard him tell Luffy that he wasn’t going to use any useless attacks against him and she knew that he had a plan in mind. He hadn’t come unprepared.

Gritting her teeth together, Ell watched with an impassive expression as the fight continued. Luffy was dodging everything that Usopp was throwing at him, not attacking or fighting with all his might.

It was only when Usopp explained what he was planning to do all this time, that she pushed herself off of Zoro and held onto the railing. The plane, where Usopp and Luffy were having their duel, was destroyed by a colossal explosion of Usopp’s creation.

Ell knew that Luffy wouldn’t be too affected by it and she frowned when she looked up to Merry’s head. Her eyes widened when she was that Merry was crying, the melody of the ship growing heavier and heavier by the second. She put her head onto the railing, trying not to cry because of the boat. She lifted her right hand and gently patted the head, telling Merry that she was here at her side. Like the rest of the crew.

The fight went on for forever, Usopp attacking vehemently and Luffy dodging everything that was coming his way. The explosions grew in numbers when Luffy finally hit Usopp for the first time with one of his attacks. Ell looked behind her to see that everyone was tense and worried about what was happening.

The fight went on for a little bit longer until Luffy hesitantly hit Usopp with one if his moves, putting him unconscious for good. Zoro noticed that the battle was over and the crew watched Luffy come back, Chopper trying to help Usopp.

However, Sanji stopped him and made him understand that he just lost a duel. He wouldn’t react well to being pitied, on top of it all. Ell sighed at that and knew that was what it meant to have a duel between a subordinate and a captain.

As Luffy was near enough, she noticed that he was shaking. A sad smile was on her lips as she whipped a tear away. Everyone on deck, except for Sanji and Zoro, were crying in some shape or form, even Merry. It was then that everyone heard Luffy mutter, on the verge of crying.

**“It’s heavy …”**

Zoro looked straight ahead, giving Luffy the dignity to be able to cry, hidden from everyone. He, however, did answer Luffy.

**“That is the burden of a captain. Don’t falter. If you do, who are we supposed to believe in?”**

Chopper jumped over the railing, and this time, nobody stopped him as Zoro proposed to Luffy to get the ship ready for Usopp. Ell watched Chopper deposit all the medical supplies Usopp could use to heal himself, before running back towards the ship, tears streaming down his face.

**“This is the last time we’ll ever see them.”**

The morning after the duel, the crew decide to rent a room in a hotel, but most of the crewmembers, including Luffy, choose to remain on the roof.

It was quiet, with some chatter coming from both Sanji and Chopper, occasionally coming from Zoro as well. Ell was sitting in the shadow, her head leaned forward, obviously resting. Nobody woke her up, and Ell was grateful for that.

It was only later that Ell woke up, but everyone except Zoro had left. Ell stretched her limbs and stood up, a tired yawn escaping her lips as an explosion rocketed the whole island. Ell narrowed her eyes when she heard steps coming this way.

She quickly ran towards Zoro, took him in her arms, ignoring his protests before jumping from roof to roof, out of sight.

**“Oi, Ell, what are you doing?! Let me go!”**

Ell looked down at Zoro, a frown marring her face, before jumping on a larger roof and letting Zoro go. She crouched down and listened to a man’s exclamation, ignoring Zoro’s furious figure. Before Zoro could explode from rage though, she pointed at the man below them and made him listen.

 **“CATCH THE STRAW HATS!! THEY ARE THE ONES WHO ATTACKED ICEBURG-SAN!!** ”

Ell shook her head at that, worry worming itself in her guts when she took Zoro’s hand and jumped down.

Why would they have done such a thing? What reasons would they have? And why the hell do those idiotic inhabitants actually believe they were the perpetrators?

She looked towards Zoro, who shook his head as well. Curses once more left her lips as they hid in the alleys, making sure that no one can find them, or see them for that matter.

Ell sighed tiredly when she suddenly heard a man’s voice inquiring after their identity. Ell continuously grumbled curses under her breath as they ran away from those men, gaining the attention of the whole city by doing so. This was definitely going to end in a bloodbath if it doesn’t stop.

**“Goddamnit! Zoro, don’t get lost!”**

Ell knew Zoro had a tendency of getting lost, and she really hoped that he wouldn’t, this time, because she wasn’t ready to escape their followers AND search for Zoro at the same time. All she got in response was a powerful curse with her name in it, but she paid no mind to it and continued to run.

Soon, both Luffy and Nami had joined them, and they were all running together, trying to escape the inhabitants. Luffy was at the front leading the group of four away from the inhabitants, making a sharp turn left into a dark alley. Ell followed suit but quickly noticed that Zoro hadn’t followed them. She felt herself sweatdrop at that, now seeing that Usopp wasn’t exaggerating the least when he said that Zoro would get lost, even by following someone.

She quickly used the wooden handle of her daggers to create an arm and to catch him, glaring at him and never letting go. Even after he cursed her and demanded to be set free, she simply shook her head and ignored him.

After they turned, Luffy quickly used his rubber body to hide them under the bridge. Ell would have laughed at their situation if she hadn’t noticed that Luffy had a hard time holding onto the deck with Zoro, Nami and her sitting on him. She let Nami hold on to her, but she warned her nonetheless that if they were to fall down that she would have to fish her out.

Nami let go of her at that mention, making her chuckle nervously. She really hoped that at least Zoro would remember to drag her out.

**“Is the coast clear?”**

The way Luffy was asking it, indicated to anyone listening that he was using all his energy to remain in the position he was in and not fall into the water. Zoro quickly answered negatively, making the boy grit his teeth together and hope that it would soon be clear.

Ell chuckled as Luffy tensed his whole body in order not to fall into the water, while Nami and Zoro both listened to footsteps that would tell them that there were still some followers.

Suddenly, Chopper’s head appeared out of nowhere, shocking Luffy and making him let go. This time, it was Ell’s time to shriek as she took hold of Zoro’s arm, in hopes that he would help her. As soon as she came in contact with water, she felt all of her energy leave her body, leaving it paralyzed.

As she felt someone drag her out of the surface of the water, she coughed harshly, getting as much air in her lungs as possible.

She was quickly put over a shoulder like a sack of potatoes, but she ignored that and made sure to regain as much air as she could. Shrieking before landing in the water was definitely NOT a good idea. Even less so if someone was a Devil Fruit user.

As she was put down, she thanked whoever had helped her and decided to first check upon all her belongings, to see if anything went missing.

As she did so, she half-listened to Nami complain that it was their fault that they were chased around, Zoro answering her that they had to do it in order to escape –  _Yosh, seems like everything is still in perfect shape and nothing is missing. Thank God, she thought of getting a waterproof bag for her belongings_ – and Luffy asking Chopper where Sanji was.

That gained her interest as she put her bag back on her back, her gloves hidden in it since she had no use for it right now. The swelling had gone down and healed overnight. It was at that moment that Chopper explained to them that Robin had told both Sanji and him, that she had framed them with the assassination attempt on Iceburg and that she would never come back.

Ell watched Zoro intently since he always seemed to be the one who made sure that the crew knew of the harsh truth of piracy. Ell grimaced when he finished his warning speech, knowing that he was right … once again.

**“Now, all we have to do is find out if Robin is our enemy … or our Nakama.”**

The pause in his words didn’t sit right with Ell, but she wasn’t going to point that out now. They were all on edge from what was happening and the framing they were the prey off. They didn’t need her pointing out everything to them.

Ell let her left hand wander to her two daggers, knowing that whatever was lying ahead of them would involve fighting.

**“Either way, guys, we need to be careful. Whatever fate has in store for us, it will involve fighting. Be prepared.”**

Everyone nodded at Ell’s warning, making her sigh in relief. A frown was still on her features as she leaned back and listened to Zoro talk about what Robin said.

**“If her statement is anything to go by, something must happen today. And she did say that starting today; everything will get worse. Meaning only one thing …”**

Nami seemed to have come to the same conclusion as both Zoro and Ell.

**“They will finish the mayor this evening.”**

Zoro nodded at her statement and Ell took out her notebook and started writing again. Everything that could be useful she noted. Nami was wondering if it could be a trap, which Zoro reinforced with his opinion.

She questioned herself silently if she should call Two as well, to see if he got any supplementary information, but was about to decide against it when Zoro said something she had to learn the hard way.

**“When you decide to believe or disbelieve information… at the moment that the truth is the opposite of what you think, your reaction time becomes sluggish.”**

Ell nodded.

**“I can call one of my friends to see if he has more information about the situation. That could maybe make all this situation clearer …”**

Ell’s proposition gained everyone’s attention, Zoro regarding her intently, his sword back in its sheath. She stared intently at Luffy who seemed to contemplate the idea, but then he turned his head towards Zoro, who nodded. Ell quickly took out her baby den-den mushi and ordered to call 991.

Two answered immediately.

**“One-sama, what can I do for you?”**

**“I want you to tell me everything you know about the current situation in town. Anything that wasn’t written in the newspaper.”**

For a long moment, silence filled the air, only followed by some clicking sounds. Ell knew that he was putting a white den-den mushi to his big one, to stop people from being able to listen to their conversation. After a while, he finally started speaking.

**“I can’t say much about it, but what I can tell you is that Nico Robin isn’t attempting to murder the mayor because of the Straw Hats. She does it because of CP9. I don’t know why she’s following them though. What I can tell you as well, is that today, they will kill the mayor. Without fail.”**

Ell’s expression was somber, like the rest of the crew’s. This was bad news. When CP9, a governmental agency that was thought to be only a rumor is involved, it can only end in bloodbath, fights, and death. Luffy seemed slightly confused as who CP9 was, but he didn’t comment on it. Probably too focused on saving Robin.

**“Thank you, Two-san. Name your price.”**

At that point, everyone knew that it meant that the discussion was over for them, so Zoro looked back to his captain, while Ell talked about the price with Two. Ell slightly paid attention to what the captain was saying, but he seemed to wait for her, so she quickly wrapped the negotiation up, giving Two the information he was seeking after. She hung up and put the baby den-den mushi back into her bag.

**“So, what are we going to do, captain?”**

Luffy looked decided when he finally uttered his decision.

**“We’re going.”**

The discussion was far from being over, though. Nami, Chopper, and Zoro started to speculate on who the man in the mask could have been since he had accompanied Robin in all of her excursions. When they asked Luffy, his only response was to get Robin, since it was the only way to get to the bottom of this.

**“Guys.”**

Ell stopped her friends, a small smile appearing on her lips, which disappeared immediately as she uttered her next words. Their heads all snapped in her direction, giving her their full attention.

**“We can be sure that the man with the mask is closely linked to the CP9. And that can only mean that the one we will have to fight will be part of that agency.”**


	10. CP9, Secret Ancient Weapon and Iceburg

Everyone tensed at the mention of having to fight an agency of assassins, but when Ell watched their expressions, she smiled softly. They were determined to get to the bottom of this and seek out the truth. And save Robin, of course.

That was indeed something she wanted to do as well. They all followed Luffy when he stood up and put a hand on his hat. 

**“Okay, let’s go! To the Galley-La Company!”**

–

**“Guys … don’t you think we can just barge in and demand to see Iceburg-san or something?”**

It was already silent when they watched the mansion from afar, but Ell’s comment quietened their surroundings even more. Zoro, Nami and Chopper were looking at her as if she had grown a second head, while Luffy’s eyes started to sparkle in amazement and temptation. 

Ignoring their reaction, Ell yawned loudly, as if she had done nothing wrong, but before she could react, she felt someone hit her on the head, making her fall face first on the platform she had made for them. She winced at the impact, rubbing the sore spot on her head.

**“AND WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!”**

Ell looked up from her place on the floor, her eyes dead and her facial expression portraying her boredom. She noticed that Nami twitched ever so slightly, but decided against commenting on it. By the way, she had screamed at her; she guessed that it would be for the better. She didn't need another bump on her head.

**“I’m bored and wanted some action?”**

Ell could see the veins in Nami’s forehead start to grow in numbers, and she was about to comment that being that angry isn’t good for her health when Nami growled lowly at her, murder evident in her eyes.

**“And you think you can just propose something idiotic, which Luffy could and would follow through with?”**

Ell moved her body in a sitting position, a confused expression evident on her face. Nami stilled at the expression, while Zoro continued to watch them, interested in how things would play out. Chopper, on the other hand, examined the mayor’s house, where a ton of men were stationed.

Luffy, for once, sported a severe expression, watching the mansion with shadowed eyes.

**“Wait … You mean, you don’t want to see all these men trying to kill a scrawny kid, who’s going to beat their asses into tomorrow?”**

Nami froze entirely at Ell’s sentence, while Zoro put his hand over his mouth, trying to stop himself from snorting too obviously. Ell wondered if she broke Nami entirely as she stood up and waved her hand before the orange-haired woman. She noticed that the other woman’s hand twitched now and then, indicating that she had irritated the woman a little bit too much.

Ell sighed sadly and shrugged her shoulders as she put one of her hands on the smaller woman's shoulder.

**“Sorry 'bout that, Nami. I was just bored.”**

Before Nami could react to Ell’s half-hearted apology, Chopper interrupted them with his observation of the mansion. This induced a whole conversation Ell decided not to bother listening to, making her own observation of the situation. She frowned when she heard a suspicious melody start to surround the whole mansion and she quickly warned her fellow crewmates and captain.

**“Everyone, something is going to happen soon. The surrounding melody is becoming suspicious.”**

No one had time to react to Ell’s warning because a massive explosion rocketed the whole front part of the mansion, making the shipwrights go into a more defensive standpoint. Ell scowled at it, feeling the blood in her veins start to pump faster, while the rest of the crew gasped in surprise. She felt the beginning of a headache but ignored it in favor of the chaos that was happening before them.

They all wanted to know who would do such a thing, but their thoughts were soon shifted towards the shipwright, who were in an obvious frenzy. Some were trying to put out the fire, while others started to search the whole mansion for the responsible.

**“Some people entered the mansion. And another person is leading the shipwrights around.”**

Nami and Chopper jumped slightly at the sound of Ell’s voice, Nami warily eyeing the woman who was leaning against the tree in a boring fashion. She was about to snap at her as the blue-haired woman’s word started to sink in.

**“You mean that they are already in the mansion?!”**

Ell nodded and grumbled under her breath, using her left hand to try and smooth a headache that was forming. She eyed the place where the explosion had taken place and knew that it would only get worse if the fire wasn’t put down as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Chopper, Nami, and Zoro were looking at the chaos with growing dread, when Ell finally noticed that their captain was missing.

**“Guys … Luffy is missing.”**

_That ought to be interesting_ ; Ell thought as she amusedly watched all three of them start to freak out and both Zoro and Nami screaming out their rage simultaneously.

**“THINK BEFORE YOU ACT! STUPID CAPTAIN!”**

Ell laughed loudly at that and narrowly dodged two attacks coming from both Nami and Zoro. As Chopper muttered that it was too late, she doubled over in more laughter, making the two enraged crewmates screech at her to stop laughing and start being serious.

Ell shook her head and pointed at a particular direction.

**“Why not go there to see and help our idiotic captain, huh?”**

This made them still for a moment, contemplating the option, before sighing, resigned to follow behind their captain. As they walked down, Ell jumped from the tree onto the roof and screamed over her shoulder.

**“I’m going this way; it’s easier! See ya at the mansion!”**

She ignored her crewmates who were yelling their displeasure at her and ran on the roofs, hoping that the arrival of Luffy would divert their attention and allow her to enter the mansion without being seen. Not that she needed a distraction to enter the mansion incognito, but it would make it easier for her. She quietened her footsteps as she neared the mansion and stopped on the last building before it.

She quickly took her coat out of the backpack, and put it on, putting the hood over her face as to hide her features. They knew what she looked like, since they had put her bounty poster in their newsletter, so it was better for them not to recognize her immediately. She slowly straightened her back and took in the scene before her.

A frown played on her face as she noticed that the shipwrights weren’t in a frenzy on that side of the mansion. And this could only mean that Luffy hadn't arrived as of yet.

As she eyed the mansion, she noticed that someone was in the room just adjacent to her. _No, there are three people in that room …_ , she corrected herself as she watched with narrowed eyes as the two masked figures attack a blonde man with a gun.

She readied herself and was just about to barge into the scene to help the injured man when Luffy suddenly flew past her into the wall, where he remained stuck. Ell remained frozen where she was, her eyes wide with surprise as she watched her captain try to wiggle his way into the room. 

As she heard the sound of swords being unsheathed, she looked down and saw that Zoro, Nami and Chopper had arrived as well and were taking care of the shipwrights below her. She laughed when she noticed that Zoro was actually doing all the work, but she knew that Nami wasn’t that much of a fighter, unlike Sanji, Zoro, Luffy and her. And Chopper too. 

Deciding that she should pull her weight as well, she jumped from her position onto the roof of the mansion, hiding in the shadow so that the masked persons wouldn’t notice her. She narrowed her eyes when she heard a feminine voice claim that she couldn’t play with them anymore and suddenly disappeared from where she had been standing.

Ell watched the woman reappear near another room, and she let out a sigh. Using her Devil Fruit, she created a small platform where she could sit and jumped on it, making sure that she wasn’t seen by the people inside the room and slightly hidden from potential seers below her.

Ell frowned when she heard Iceburg’s strained voice advise them to go away. She knew that five people were inside that room and she moved her platform slightly, so she could stand on it and peeked inside the room.

A frown played on her face as the first face that came to view was Robin’s, who was accompanied by four men and women hidden beneath masks. Iceburg told them that he had nothing to give them, making one of the men sigh in mock sadness.

Ell froze entirely when she saw a pigeon – _Hattori_ – land on the man with the bullhead’s shoulder and she knew immediately who that was. And by the looks of it, Iceburg had realized it too.

**“You, who are about to die … have disappointed me.”**

_What the fuck was Lucci doing here?!_ , Ell thought as she gritted her teeth together and soon she put one and one together. Her notebook was out once again, and she scribbled furiously in it, trying to ignore her shock and anger.

Rob Lucci is part of CP9 and a government dog.

If Ell could utter one thing at the moment, she would have screamed at them that what was happening was sheer bullshit. First, she finds out that Lucci was part of CP9 and that he was spying on Iceburg for 5 years. And now, she finds out that both Kaku _AND_ Kalifa have been part of that mission since the start?! She knew that Kalifa had a lot to hide, especially from her, but that? That was just unimaginable.

And the reason for this? Some goddamn blueprints from an ancient weapon that the Government wants, but Iceburg doesn’t want it to fall in the hands of someone dangerous. And he made the right choice, but Ell knew that it was the most dangerous one, too.

The last to reveal their face was the one in the bear mask, but as Ell was about to write him off as unimportant, she realized that nothing had been broken when they had entered the mansion and particularly Iceburg's room.

**“He must be the reason how they can enter places without being seen …”**

Ell muttered all the things she wanted to write down under her breath, making sure that she was quiet enough. She quietly hoped that nobody would come from below her and screw up her hiding plans. She didn’t expect much from her hopes though.

**“Now, Iceburg-san, before more people get hurt, tell us the location of the ancient weapon, Pluton!”**

Ell couldn’t see Iceburg’s facial expression, but she knew for a fact that he was shocked. Shocked that the people he trusted the most had betrayed him like that. And for a very destructive weapon too. Ell refrained herself from barging in on the discussion, knowing that against all of them together, she would have no chance to win at all and she needed the information that they were so carelessly going to talk about.

Adding to that, she would put Iceburg’s life in even more danger than it already was. Something she would like to avoid, if possible.

After a very long monologue, where Ell had practically fallen asleep several times, Lucci finally arrived at his conclusion. Ell sighed in relief because as hot as that guy was, his voice was so emotionless that she had a hard time listening to him.

As she looked down on her notes, she saw that she had noted everything she needed to, including the fact that Franky had the blueprints for the ancient weapon, when she felt two walls of the mansion start to shake. She reacted quickly and stopped peeking when she heard her captain’s voice.

**“WHERE IS ROBIN?”**

Well, that was one of a kind entrance. Ell smirked and opened the window from inside, creating a massive gust of wind. To stop the members of CP9 from using it as an escape route, she used her Devil Fruit to build a wall of timber, after she entered the scene as well.

She had packed her notebook back into her bag, not wanting them to take it from her if they notice that she had information about them.

**“I finally found you! Robin!”**

However, Paulie seemed to be not so excited to see who was standing before them, even less to find out that Lucci could actually talk. Ell grimaced at the sight of him and Iceburg, both heavily injured.  _Seems like they arrived in time_ , Ell mused, taking out one of her daggers and playing with it. She knew that Kalifa’s attention and the other man’s – _Blueno_ – were on her, but she paid them no mind. Not at the moment, at least.

While everyone questioned the four’s presence, Ell slowly used her power to move Iceburg closer to her and to stop the bleeding that was going to cost him his life, if he wasn't treated quickly. After a moment of silence, Lucci decided to – _finally_ – tell Pauli what was going on. Not that Ell wasn’t ready to do it for them.

 **“Paulie. The truth is that we are undercover government agents. Well, I expect that you will accept our apologies. – “** – Ell snorted at that, gaining a glare from the talking man – **“ – We are nakamas who have labored in shipbuilding together. If this is too much for you to believe, would you like me to trample Iceburg’s face?”**

Ell tilted her head to the side, noticing that Lucci had kept the honorifics out of the sentence when before, they were still present. Ell ignored that little discovery and used the fact that everyone’s attention was on Paulie and Lucci to slowly close the distance between the two.

As Paulie lost his cool and was about to attack Lucci, Ell used her control over timber to create a wall between the two and stop Paulie from getting more hurt than he already was. She was right to do so because as Lucci used one of his fingers, he destroyed the entire wall.

Ell cringed at that, knowing that Paulie would have suffered a lot from such an attack. However, this had gained her the attention of the whole CP9, making her change her stance in a defensive fighting position, after having jumped in front of Iceburg.

Lucci, on the other hand, simply continued his talk with Paulie, telling him that they were too strong for them to even think about matching them in a battle. Ell was very tempted to snort at that comment, but she valued her life a little bit too much, to do such a risky thing.

Ell contended herself with watching Robin and making eye-contact with the silent woman, who seemed to avoid gaining her crew’s attention. As Lucci mentioned the style – _Rokushiki (six senses)_ – they have perfected their body in, she gasped in recognition, making everyone look at her expectantly. Ell raised an eyebrow when she noticed the action.

**“You actually expect me to tell you what I remembered? Hell Nah, those guys will surely use it against me later on.”**

This raised some eyebrows, but Lucci quickly concentrated his attention back on Paulie, who was panting from the bullet injuries he had taken before. Ell gritted her teeth together when she saw Lucci take hold of Paulie’s shoulder, knowing that something bad was about to come.

**“In any events, I need to kill you. This saddens me, my friend.”**

Ell took the moment where Luffy interrupted Lucci to her advantage and caught Iceburg in her arms, trying not to move too fast, and ran towards the door, where Chopper, Nami, and Zoro were watching everything going on. She heard Lucci monotonously say the word _Tekkai_ as he faced Luffy’s attack head-on. Ell frowned at that and stopped beside Zoro as Luffy was kicked (?) back with Lucci’s finger technic, _Shigan_.

**“Normal people would have a gaping hole in their neck right now, Rubberman.”**

Luffy gritted his teeth together and stretched out his arm to get Paulie back, who had fallen on his knee as realization hit him. Ell put Iceburg down and nodded at Chopper, who quickly changed form to see if he was alright. Paulie gasped when he stood up once again, while Luffy questioned Robin why she was on their side and explained to CP9 that he was helping Paulie because he had business with them as well.

 _And we need Iceburg-san alive to get our ship done_ , Ell silently added but remained crouched beside said-man. Everyone started to question why Robin was with them, all anguished and in need of answers.

**“To make my wish come true. A wish that would never come true if I went with you.”**

It was silent when Ell suddenly started laughing. Everyone tensed and looked at the woman with disbelieving expressions. She slowly stood up and started to face Robin, a malicious look in her eyes. Robin narrowed her eyes at the younger woman, but Ell ignored that action and started playing with her dagger, a habit she had gained to make herself look more threatening.

**“Robin, you are so stupid.”**

Robin flinched at the cool tone Ell was using, and Luffy was ready to yell at his Nakama for how she was talking with Robin when Zoro stopped him and examined Ell intently. Her face was void of any emotion, but a cold smile on her lips as she regarded Robin.

**“Do you really want to make me believe that you are joining the World Government – _who has been chasing you down for YEARS_ – to fulfill your dream?”**

Ell shook her head and walked forward, her left hand playing with her dagger, while the rest of her coat hid her body. Robin looked to the side, obviously rattled by what the blue-haired woman was telling her and frowning at the fact that she wasn't believing her.

**“We both know that you will die if you follow them, Nico Robin. But is that what you truly want? Those lying pigs will have no remorse in doing so, just to remain on top. Is that what you believe in, Nico Robin?”**

Luffy recognized how Ell’s eyes glinted; it was the same as when they had met for the first time. Ell threw her dagger in the air and tilted her head slightly forward, allowing her hair to shadow her eyes. Anger was slowly becoming apparent as she continued to talk and she felt it rise from within her stomach to fill her up entirely.

**“Do you really want to follow those people who annihilated your whole island without an ounce of remorse? Just because you could read Poneglyphs?”**

Ell caught her dagger and pointed it at Robin, noting that she had obviously flinched at her action. The rest of CP9 was watching from the sidelines, but the one she was being cautious of was Lucci. He was the most dangerous amongst her enemies.

**“Now tell us, Nico Robin. Do you really want to sacrifice everything? And make me believe that they aren’t threatening you with something – _probably US_ – to make you follow them? Come on; I’ll leave you 30 seconds to answer me–“**

Much further, Ell did not come because Robin had crossed her arms and yelled at her with pleading eyes, her whole body shaking.

**“SHUT UP!”**

Ell used the surrounding wooden objects to stop Robin's arms from crushing her head, and she grimaced. This left her open to everyone's attacks, but as her crewmembers demanded Robin to give them answers, Lucci stepped in.

**“This is enough. We need to leave you and search for someone very important. And we’ll never see each other again.”**

Suddenly, Lucci looked towards Kalifa, asking her how much time they had left. Robin had let go of Ell and Ell had dissolved the wooden ropes that had held her arms in place. Ell jumped back and landed before Iceburg, who was still being treated by Chopper.

Paulie had joined his side and watched the show going on from there. Luffy gritted his teeth together, while Zoro slowly switched his stance to a fighting position.

**“This may sound sudden, but in two minutes, this whole mansion will be engulfed in flames.”**

Ell gaped at the agents of CP9 before she started to curse loudly. If the mansion was going up in flames, it meant that all the shipwrights who were unconscious and not dead would die and that she was going to be sporting a massive headache the whole time that the mansion was in flames.

And that is something; she most definitely didn't want to happen.

**“We have to destroy the evidence, you see. A fire is a perfect pretense. If you don’t want to be burned with the mansion, you will leave immediately. But of course, that may not be so easy.”**

Ell took out her second dagger and lowered her stance, her legs stretched out and ready to fight. She quickly glanced at her side, to see that both Zoro and Luffy were also prepared to fight.

Zoro quickly questioned Luffy if he was ready to let Robin go, to which he got a big, fat no in response, making Ell smirk and Robin still where she was standing. While Lucci informed them that flames would soon be spreading on the first floor, Ell indicated for Nami and Chopper to take care of both Iceburg and Paulie.

**“Goodbye.”**

Lucci quickly destroyed the wall of timber Ell had created to stop them from leaving, letting Robin walk forward. This made Luffy charge towards the three agents, Kalifa, Bueno, and Kaku. Ell shouted at Luffy to wait, but he attacked nonetheless, disregarding her warning, making Ell curse loudly once again.


	11. Mansion on Fire

Blueno, the tallest man in the room, used _Tekkai_ and didn’t budge at all, while Luffy attacked relentlessly. After a small explaining as to why they wouldn’t move under Luffy’s attacks, Blueno dodged another attack coming from Luffy.

Ell gritted her teeth together and tried to find an escape route, so that at least Iceburg, Paulie, Chopper, and Nami could get out of the mansion with minimal injuries. However, every way she looked at it, CP9 could easily catch and kill them.

Something she wanted to avoid at all cost. She gritted her teeth from her position, watching CP9 show off their abilities. The ability which would cause the biggest problem for them was _Geppou_  since they are able to ‘walk’ in the air with it.

Ell slowly backed away, when suddenly both Kaku and Kalifa jumped up, ready to kick Luffy. She tensed and was about to tell her friends to duck, but Zoro beat her to it.

**“Guys! GET DOWN!”**

Ell quickly backed towards the four people behind her and pushed them onto the ground, barely dodging the wind-cutting strike herself. She glared at the duo who had used _Rankyaku_ and destroyed the wall in the process.

She heard Nami scream as the strike landed on Luffy and Chopper call out to him, but Ell quickly shifted her stance to be beside Zoro, both looking extremely serious. Ell nodded at Zoro, telling him to take care of them.

**“I’ll help the four of them to escape.”**

She had murmured her plan lowly, making sure to move her lips as unnoticeably as possible, making Zoro nod. He ran towards them; his katanas brandished and ready for use. Meanwhile, she pushed Paulie into the hallway and let him take Iceburg in his arms.

She motioned for both Nami and Chopper to follow them, but as she did so, she felt someone go after her. She quickly used her daggers and stopped Kalifa’s kick. Gritting her teeth together as Kalifa put her weight into it, she swiftly pushed her back and glared once again.

While Zoro fought with Kaku and Ell fought with Kalifa, Robin had made her way to the freed window, obviously planning on escaping with CP9. Too bad for her that Luffy had other plans.

As Luffy was going to grab Robin, Ell kicked Kalifa into the wall and yelled at Zoro to be careful, but she was too late. Kaku had already used _Shigan_ on him.

And it was at that point that Ell saw red. She disappeared from where she had stood and kicked Kaku away from Zoro, making him crash into the nearest wall. Her usually dull grey eyes were now shining in the moonlight as a threatening aura filled the room.

She heard Nami call out for her, she heard Zoro mutter that she should calm down, but she couldn’t. It was the same as _that_ time. They were going to kill her friends. She slowly shifted her eyes to look at Lucci, who was holding up her captain.

**“Lucci. Let go of my captain before things start to become ugly.”**

Ell knew that she shouldn’t let her emotions rule her actions, she knew that she shouldn’t feel so angry for people who had forced her in joining their crew, but she ignored those realizations.

She could care less now that she was on board unwillingly, that she was forced to join. Luffy had accepted her and offered her something she had been scared to ask for. So scared and unsure, yet always yearning for it.

_Friends_

_Family_

_Nakamas_

And if Lucci thought he could rip that away from her, he had another thing coming for him. Slowly, numerous head started to appear from the ground as Lucci threw Luffy towards the nearest wall.

**_ “Call of the soldier.” _ **

Ell glared at the men and woman who were looking at her with narrowed eyes, her soldiers all ready to fight. Ell had summoned soldiers with all sorts of abilities, swordsmen to knifemen to gunners. She had summoned them all.

Even in her rage-filled mind, she knew that what she was doing was only good enough to be considering gaining more time and she knew that CP9 had realized it too. Which in turn, led to them casually answering questions.

At one point, Lucci even deemed it acceptable to lecture them about helping Iceburg and Paulie, making her frown in distaste. He was going on her nerves, and she would have loved to just punch the hell out of him, but her strength was still lacking.

She knew that if she had to fight him head on, she would lose. Lose the fight and her life. Surprise attacks was another thing, though. Not that she would be able to surprise the head of CP9. As the clock hit nine, Kalifa turned to Lucci.

Lucci nodded at Kalifa, before stating that he would show them something interesting. Ell’s eyes widened as she took a step back in shock at Lucci’s appearance. Who hadn’t told her that he was a freaking Devil fruit user?!

And it was at that time that everything went faster than a lightning bolt. Ell let her soldiers help the injured people of the Galley-La while she took both Paulie and Iceburg and helped them out. She saw Chopper get trapped beneath some rumbles, but before she could act, she faced Lucci.

She ignored the fact that the four of them hadn’t followed her instructions and tried to do something, but all she could do was tense up slightly and nothing more.

Ell quickly pushed the duo who she was helping away from her and made them barely dodge Lucci’s attack. She felt him use _Shigan_ on several locations on her body, like her shoulder, stomach and left hip, making her cough out some blood.

She staggered backward, trying to regain her footing, but before she could act, she felt Lucci kick her head, making her crash headfirst into the wall. She coughed again and was about to stand up when she heard it. The flames which were starting to burn the house.

A shrill scream escaped her lips as she held her head in pain. She groaned and moaned, writhing on the floor, trying to get the pain under control. By doing so, she had gained everyone’s attention, but it quickly shifted back to Robin.

Lucci leisurely neared the screaming woman and frowned. She was obviously in pain, but not because of the injuries he had inflicted; they were to make a woman like her scream in ferocious agony.

Ell felt as if her head was being torn apart from the inside, the flames creating a screeching sound in her head. She wasn’t able to think straight; her soldiers ceasing all movements, becoming wooden statues.

She felt all control she had over herself and her environment leave her soul, and she held her head tightly, blood slowly streaming in place of tears.

She faintly realized that she was being picked up and was still screaming in pain and before she realized what was happening, she felt someone knock her out cold.

Lucci threw the woman towards Iceburg and Paulie, who were now both tied up and the two of them watched with wide eyes as she landed just before them, her eyes still side open, the streams of blood starting to dry up.

Both men flinched at the look of pain that had been etched in her facial expression but could not do much with what was happening.

Ell was unconscious. Nami had been kicked out of the mansion, while both Zoro and Luffy were thrown out of the island. Nobody could possibly come to their rescue now.

–

Ell felt herself getting picked up by something, but she was still in too much pain to realize who it was. She heard someone tell her that she should be strong and that they would survive this shit.

She coughed in pain and unconsciously helped her savior by gripping down harder. She heard their voice thanking her as they walked out of the flames. She smiled slightly, and as her savior – _Chopper_ – fell unconscious, she followed him.

–

The next time Ell came back to consciousness, she was surrounded by men, and the fire had been put down. She coughed and gained the attention of Nami and the whole Galley-La, but she ignored them, trying to sit up.

She was still feeling the aftershock from the flames, while their whole surroundings were quiet, no melody leaving any wooden objects. That was what she hated when a huge fire appeared. After it was put out, her surroundings would remain silent for a long time, before the usual melody surrounded the place again.

**“Fuck this shit. I hate fires.”**

Ell let a string of curses fly past her lips as she felt her whole body tense up in pain, but she ignored it in favor of Nami, who was crying slightly and approaching her.

Ell blinked up at her when she suddenly felt the woman hug her tightly. An airy chuckle left her lips as she leaned against the crew’s navigator, grateful that she held her. The Galley-La workers were tense, Ell had noticed it the moment she had woken up, but before they could do anything, Iceburg appeared and told them that he wanted to talk with them.

Ell nodded at Nami, and they both sat down near trees.

**“Hey Nami, I’m going to rest for a little while. If you leave, just wake me up.”**

Nami nodded at Ell and let the injured woman lie her head down on her lap. Ell smiled at Nami before she relaxed and slept. Nami instinctively petted the woman’s head, gaining a small smile in response. Iceburg, who had been watching the two, realized that this crew was more like a family than anything else.

–

Ell woke up to someone gently patting her cheek, and she was faced with a happy Chopper. The woman couldn’t stop herself, and she hugged the reindeer to herself, making Chopper squeak in surprise.

**“Thank you for saving me, Chopper.”**

Chopper blushed at the compliment but smiled up at the older woman nonetheless as he started to see her true colors. She was in no way an emotionless person. She simply hid her real character behind it. Shaking his head, he quickly informed the crew’s informant what Iceburg had told Nami.

**“I’m going to search the island on foot. You do your thing, okay?”**

Nami and Chopper nodded at the woman, watching with a frown as she stood up with some difficulty. However, as they saw her grin widely, they returned it.

**“Let’s show the Government what we got.”**

A huge roar of Yes’ followed her exclamation, making her smirk. Using her a wooden rope, she jumped onto the surrounding roofs, thinking loudly.

**“Wait for us, Robin. We are coming.”**

–

Ell frowned as she sat on one of the roofs on the outskirt of the Water city. She had searched the whole island in hope of finding her captain and Zoro, but she had been too weak to ask the surrounding objects to help her.

And thus, she was now here, watching the Sea Train swim (?) away, Robin in it. She momentarily wondered where Sanji was, but quickly shook her head. He could follow them later on.

**“DO YOU WANNA DIE? THE AQUA LAGUNA IS COMING!”**

Ell’s head snapped in the direction of the shout, her eyes widening when she saw that Nami was running in a specific direction. She frowned at the obviously determined woman, jumping towards her direction.

She winced when her injuries started to protest again, but she shrugged the pain away. She had other things to be worried about right now; her injuries could wait. She could hear the anxious shouts of the Galley-La and Kokoro, but she decided to ignore them and stopped beside Nami.

This time, however, she placed her hand on Nami’s shoulder, supporting herself. Nami ignored her and yelled out what she had learned from Iceburg. A small smile appeared on Ell’s lips.

**“FOR ALL OF US, ROBIN … SHE’S GOING TO DIE FOR ALL OF US!”**

Ell flinched at that, a worried frown on her features as she watched the Aqua Laguna near them. She quickly warned Nami about it, but she was ignored, making her huff in annoyance. However, she refrained from complaining as she saw tears on Nami’s face.

**“ROBIN SACRIFICED HERSELF FOR US! SHE PROTECTED US FROM BEING ATTACKED BY THE GOVERNMENT! EVEN WITH KNOWING THAT SHE MIGHT GET KILLED.”**

Ell smiled as she heard her captain inquire Nami if Robin was lying after all, to which Nami screamed her response. She listened to the hopeful tone in Luffy’s voice, and she suddenly realized something important.

She wanted to follow that man. She desired to give her everything so he can become Pirate King. She wanted to make Luffy’s dream a reality. She took a large intake of air and with the help of Nami, remained on her feet.

**“LET’S GO, CAPTAIN!! ROBIN’S WAITING!”**

A hearty yes reached her ears and she smiled, but suddenly, she felt chills crawling down her spine. Her head slowly moved to the side, and she tensed up at the sight before her.

A massive tidal wave was coming this way, and if she didn’t do anything, they would all die. However, before she could do something, she felt Luffy’s arm surround her, and they landed on the bridge not far away from where they had stood.

She felt herself land on the bridge, her body protesting against the movement. She smiled gratefully towards Luffy, feeling her energy slowly come back to her body. Although, she knew that she was far from her perfect shape, as the fire had taken most of her power away from her.

She internally cursed her major weakness, but she had no time to further think about it as another wave followed the first one. A scream tore out of her throat as she was swallowed by the tide. As she was submerged, she felt something circle her wrist.

And soon, she was taken out of the water, and she was running beside Zoro, Luffy, and Paulie as they tried to reach the end of the bridge. She cursed herself when she felt herself falter, but soon a hand took her wrist and pulled her forward.

She smiled gratefully at Zoro and forced herself to continue running, ignoring, once again, her protesting body. All of them sprung forward and landed on the higher level of Water 7, just as the third wave crashed down.

A tired sigh left Ell’s lips as she laid on the ground, twitching every so often as she felt a wave of pain flood her mind and body. She ignored the rest of her crew as they started to fight with each other and momentarily closed her eyes, half-listening to what was happening around her.

However, she quickly sat back right, a worried expression crossing her features. She took her small backpack and rummaged through it, sighing in relief when she found the two den-den mushis and her notebook. Scanning through it, she saw that only the edges had burned off, much like Blackie’s cage.

She ignored the rain and put her notebook back into her backpack, now letting Chopper take care of her injuries. She nodded as Nami explained to everyone what the Gate of Justice was.

**“Once you pass the Gate of Justice, only two places will be your destination.”**

Ell saw Nami hesitate and took over her explanation, looking straight at her captain, while doing so.

**“The Marine’s Headquarters or Impel Down, the prison of hell and torture.”**

Nami nodded gratefully in Ell’s direction and continued her speech after her. Ell looked down at her injuries to see that everything was bandaged. She patted Chopper’s head in gratitude and thanked him, listening to Paulie telling them that it is impossible and that he would not let them die to save their friends.

Ell glared at the foremen, feeling her anger surfacing once again. She slowly stood up and took out her daggers, spinning them in her hands. She lowered her position once again and waited for them to attack them first.

However, Kokoro stopped everyone by butting in. Luffy was already yelling at her that she knew nothing, but Kokoro simply interrupted him once again.

**“Follow me. I will start the ‘Sea Train’ for you.”**

Ell smiled and nodded at her captain. This ought to be interesting.

–

As they finally arrived, they all found out that Iceburg had already been waiting for them and that Kokoro was going to drive the ‘Rocket Man.’ Ell had the feeling that this train had a huge default, but she shrugged it off and boarded the train with her friends anyways.

If it means that she could help her crew save Robin than she was ready to accept whatever default that ‘Rocket Man’ has.

She frowned as Luffy fell down and Chopper mentioned that he had been wobbly, but before she could say anything, Nami appeared and gave them a huge amount of food and Sake.

Ell chuckled at the trio and took some food as well. She knew that she would need some strength as well. Ell sat down in one part of the train, telling Chopper that she needed some sleep to regain the energy that she had lost.

The reindeer nodded and sat down beside her. A small smile was on her lips as she dozed off, the sound of Nami’s complaining and Luffy’s laugh following her to her dreams. She wondered why the other yelling voices sounded familiar, but she ignored them.

She needed her rest for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone and thank you so much for reading my fanfiction.
> 
> My updates may become more irregular starting this week because, well, I'm starting school again and I might update later than I usually did. Either way, I will try my goddamn best to update this fanfiction. 
> 
> Thank you so much for tuning in and see you next time.


	12. Call of the Heart

Ell was rudely woken up when she was thrown across the room and landed on something – _or someone_ –, who was cursing up a storm. Ell yawned as she looked back and saw that she had fallen on Zoro, who was glaring at her.

A sheepish smile appeared on her lips as she rubbed the back of her head, a small laugh escaping her lips. Zoro didn’t respond and simply pushed the woman off his lap.

**“Sorry, I was sleeping.”**

This had all the people in the train sweatdropping and Luffy laughing loudly. Ell gave her captain a thumbs up as she listened to everyone complaining about her carelessness. As she looked around, she noticed that they had some additional company.

Lulu and Tilestone had hopped in as well, and this ended up shocking everyone on board. Ell shrugged at that, knowing that the more they were, the higher was their chance of getting Robin back.

Luffy quickly silenced everyone by telling them that Lucci was his and Ell partly hoped that Draco was on Enies Lobby as well. She had some questions for him that she wanted him to answer even though a fight with him would be hard and not avoidable.

**“From now on, we are allies.”**

Ell smiled at what her captain was saying as she stood up, her coat surrounding her shivering body. She wondered how Nami was not shivering as well but ignored it when she heard the baby den-den mushi between Nami’s breasts start ringing.

Ell shook her head at the looks men were giving her and placed herself before the other woman, glaring at them warningly.

Everyone, except for Luffy, Chopper and Zoro, flinched under her glare and looked the other way, making Ell nod. There was no way that she was going to let them glance at a woman’s body without her consent.

However, everyone was quickly distracted by the massive wave of the Aqua Laguna that was coming their way. As she saw that both Luffy and Zoro stood at the front of the train, she shrugged everyone’s fear away and trusted them to cut and punch through the wave.

After they successfully survived the wave, the two men climbed back in and started talking with Sanji. Ell remained in the background, listening to Zoro and Luffy bicker slightly before the line went dead. Ell shrugged at that and smiled at Zoro.

**“It’s fine, Zoro. Sanji’s just like you in situations like this one. He doesn’t listen.”**

Ell laughed as he glared at her, but his attention was quickly taken as he watched her stagger slightly. A worried frown appeared on his lips as he asked, taking one of Ell’s wrist in his hand, making sure that Ell couldn’t escape.

**“Is everything okay?”**

Ell shook her head and turned towards Zoro, looking him in the eye after taking her wrist out of his hold.

**“I will be fine, Zoro. That fire took a lot out of me, but that’s about it. Don’t worry too much.”**

Zoro understood the underlying message and nodded, and petted her, even though she was slightly taller than he was.

**“Don’t overdo it.”**

Ell laughed at that and shook her head.

**“You’re one to talk, Greeny.”**

She saw him freeze at her nickname and chuckled, quickly disappearing from view. His attention shifted towards Nami who had decided that it was a good idea to change in a room full of people.

Ell raised an eyebrow at that but decided against commenting on it, since Pauli was already making a huge scene about it. She decided to enjoy the relaxed atmosphere which had filled the car.

After both Nami and Luffy had a short moment of depression, the whole crew finally came across the Puffing Tom – _well, they thought so, at least_ – which made everyone ready themselves for battle. Ell snorted at that, feeling like this was way too unlikely.

And this small incident ended with Zoro cutting the two wagons in half, Ell frowning when she noticed that the crowd was a mixture of marines and government agents. She heard some of them yell out for Captain T-bone, and she shook her head.

**“What the hell is T-bone doing here?”**

Nobody heard Ell ask herself that question, much to Ell’s relief. It wouldn’t really be welcomed to find out that T-bone and her were actually fighting buddies and that they saw each other regularly. Until one year ago, that is, where the Marine was way too near to find out about their past meetings and accordingly, they had decided to stop.

Much too Ell’s chagrin, but she knew that it was for the best. Sighing softly, she stood up from where she had previously been sitting and joined her captain on top of the train, watching with an emotionless face as Zoro beat her fighting buddy easily.

Not that it surprised her in any way.

She shook her head at Zoro’s comments, but ignored it and yawned once again.

**“Fucking hell, I’m tired.”**

Most of the men on board all gaped at the blue-haired woman, who seemed to be bored out of her mind, even though they were practically riding the train to their death.

**“What the hell, woman? You already slept the majority of the ride, and now you are telling us that you are tired?!”**

Ell looked over at Paulie in question, one of her eyebrow raised.

**“Indeed? But really, what got your panties so twisted, perv’?”**

Paulie froze at her sentence, his eyes wide and his expression mirroring his apparent incredulity. Luffy simply laughed at her sentence, making Ell smirk. The rest of the crew remained silent.

**“My … panties … are twisted?”**

Ell tilted her head sideways, noting that Paulie was obviously not far away from exploding in anger. However, before that could happen, something hit the train, and they were quickly sidetracked.

Ell had no time to look for who had done it since if they were off track meant that the water could become a more significant threat. And she couldn’t swim if she fell.

And thus, she made the decision to climb back inside quickly and to remain stationed beside Zoro, knowing that he would help her if she landed in the ocean. Well, she hoped he would.

However, she shrugged off that feeling and smirked as they got yet another comrade – _Yokozuna, the crawl frog, Ell knew that he must have been related to the late Tom somehow._

And it was with a tremendous amount of determination to get Robin back that they reached Enies Lobby. However, just before Enies Lobby, they finally rejoined with Sanji and Sogeking – _Usopp, she had recognized him on sight_ – and Sanji told them about Franky’s sacrifice.

She minutely wondered if he would remember her since they had talked with each other only one time, but she knew that he most likely wouldn’t.

From the side of her eyes, she noticed that Usopp had given both Luffy and Chopper – _who were way too gullible in her opinion_ – an autograph.

Ell was snapped out of her thoughts as Sanji started telling the crew about Ohara and what happened to Robin. Ell had looked to the side at that, and she carefully hid her emotions behind a mask of indifference.

However, the moment Sanji had finished his explanation, Luffy exclaimed loudly that he wasn’t going to forgive Robin so easily, which made Nami mad. A tired sigh left the younger woman’s lips, but she carefully let the mask of indifference go and replaced it with determination.

There was no time for her to think back to her past. She needed to concentrate on saving Robin, who was in huge danger because of her selflessness.

Meanwhile, Paulie started explaining to everyone the layout of Enies Lobbies and told them that the only ones who could fight CP9 at the moment were the Straw Hats. Ell tilted her head to the side and listened to everyone talking around her.

One of the Franky Brothers told them that they had to go straight up, no matter how many people died, which had made Ell glare at the man. Nobody had noticed it though, and Ell knew that Luffy had only one goal in mind: Save Robin.

 _Seems like he is more accepting of the fact that there are going to be deaths …_ , Ell thought as she looked out of a window, narrowing her eyes at the sight of the Gates of Justice. She had never seen it before, but many of her sources had told her that the gate was gigantic.

And they weren’t exaggerating the least; it must be as big as some of the bigger Sea Kings. She shook her head and took out her daggers, readying herself to fight. As everyone was ready, Nami finally noticed something important.

**“Wait … where is Luffy?”**

Ell chuckled at the angry expression everyone was now sporting and shrugged. She decided that she would merely sit beside Nami and wait the remaining 5 minutes before entering a place under the Government immediate direction.

Ell looked down at her two daggers and played with them silently, trying to feel the presence of any wooden object in Enies Lobby. A small smirk appeared on her lips as she realized that most of their furniture was made out of timber.

**“Guys?”**

Ell spoke quietly, but she had gained everyone’s attention since the wagon was silent without Luffy in it. Her eyes were hidden behind her hair, so nobody could really see where she was looking.

**“Let’s raise hell.”**

While Sanji swooned at the cold and mischievous tone her voice was sporting, both Nami and Zoro smirked in delight at the woman’s exclamation. Chopper and Usopp were both slightly scared by the malicious aura that started to fill the wagon but remained quiet nonetheless.

Zoro was the only one to answer Ell, the others nodding in affirmation.

**“That’s what pirates do.”**

–

Ell laughed happily as she felt the train fly in the air because the frog had pushed the fence to an angle that allowed such a feat. Nami was yelling something at her, but Ell was too busy enjoying the sensation to give her any attention.

Deciding to not be on the ship when they crashed into something, she jumped out of a window, landing nearby. As she looked back up, she saw how the Rocket Man crashed into a Giant.

A small chuckle left her lips as she saw many marines stare at her with dawning fear. Deciding that she needed some fun, she used the surrounding wooden objects to create a small army of men and women.

**_ “Fighter’s call.” _ **

At the sight of it, all the marines and government agents screamed in fear.

**“It … it … IT’S 'THE TRAITOR', ELL MANDERVILL!!!”**

Ell glanced at the unconscious marines but shrugged and walked towards both Zoro and Sanji who had taken care of the rest of the still standing marines. While the two of them fought with each other, Ell decided to simply watch as Nami took out a big number of their enemies.

**“IT ATTACKS FOE AND FRIENDS ALIKE!!”**

Ell shook her head at her and heard some of the Franky Brothers gawk at the show of strength Nami had provided. She smiled and patted Nami on the shoulder, ignoring an angry Zoro and swooning Sanji.

**“You did good, Nami. If you continue fighting like this, you’ll be feared in the whole world.”**

Sogeking yelled at her to not encourage Nami in such reckless behavior, to which she simply innocently raised her hands. Nami smiled at Ell’s praise and nodded in understanding.

**“And if I get stronger, I’ll get more money.”**

Ell laughed at Nami but nodded nonetheless. Both Sogeking and Chopper sweatdropped at the two women, who had obviously lost their minds, but as they saw Ell and Nami glance at them warningly, they whistled and looked to the side.

Ell smiled at them and waited to see what the rest of the crew would decide to do, now that they were on the island.

**“I wonder where that idiot rushed …”**

Zoro crossed his arms in exasperation and Nami was the only one to answer, while Ell looked around.

**“Dunno, this island isn’t small, so if we have to start searching somewhere –“**

An explosion happened at one of the towers and everyone stared at it, stating what they thought simultaneously.

**“We should start there.”**

As soon as they said that, Paulie appeared with a King Bull, yelling at them that they shouldn’t have been there. Ell ignored him in favor of collecting all the timber she could before she felt a rope surround her wrist.

Sighing softly, she minimized the collected timber’s size and changed its form into a cube, putting it one of her pockets. Her coat hid her body and protected her from the bullets the marines seemed to enjoy sending her way.

Ell waved back as Kokoro and Chimney yelled good luck and smiled as she watched them disappear from sight as the horses run towards the middle of the island. After Paulie told them to tell Lucci and Kaku that they were fired, the three of them jumped off the horse and took care of some attackers below.

Ell winced for the dogs, feeling sympathetic, but shrugged the feeling away as she concentrated her energy on locating Luffy. She was feeling slightly drowsy and wondered momentarily if she could sleep without having Nami breathe down her neck.

As she glanced at said-woman, she saw Nami make some hand signs which transmitted her intentions very clearly.

_You yawn or sleep on this horse and I will murder you._

Ell frowned at that and sighed sadly, before shifting her attention to their surroundings. She noticed that Sogeking had not jumped on board of the horse. She stood up from where she was sitting and jumped over the rows of seats to the last one, trying to pinpoint Usopp’s location.

She frowned as she saw him nowhere and she had not enough energy to try to feel him out. Shaking her head from side to side, she walked towards Nami and listened to what Kokoro had to say.

Apparently, there was no bridge to get to the Tower of Justice and they could only cross if the drawbridge had been pushed open. And Chimney also informed them that Luffy had climbed on top of the courthouse and was fighting someone there.

Ell gritted her teeth together as she held tightly onto the horse’s saddle as three huge metal balls connected with the King Bull’s head. She winced at the impact, secretly happy that she was not the one to be the victim of this attack.

As Sanji and Zoro with the help of the Franky Family were ready to jump off the horse’s back and fight all the enemies on the ground, Chopper yelled as loudly as he could into a wooden sound amplifier.

**“DON’T GET OFF! ‘HOLD ON TIGHTLY!’ THAT’S WHAT GOMORRAH SAID!”**

Ell patted Chopper’s head and watched with amusement as everyone scrambled back up on top of the horse’s saddle. Gomorrah started to run randomly, shocking more than one person on board. Ell held on tightly and took Chopper in her arms, nodding at him to continue his speech.

Gratefulness appeared in his eyes and he nodded happily as he screamed what Gomorrah had told them. Ell smiled at the mention of the other King Bull, Sodom, and how he had promised his friend that he would lead everyone to the courthouse.

The moment he turned and was running straight towards a huge wall, Ell winced at all the shouting. She really hoped that her ears wouldn’t suffer from all of this too much.

She watched with fascination as both Zoro and Sanji worked together to destroy the wall, leading all of them to the Courthouse front plaza.

It was momentarily silent as realization dawned upon everyone that they had reached the Courthouse. The Franky Brothers cheered loudly and patted Gomorrah. Ell high-fived Chopper, who sniffed away his tears and gave her back her amplifier. She smiled as she saw everyone ready their weapons as more and more marines started to flood the place.

**“This is going to be very interesting.”**

Ell smirked at the fearful expressions their opponents were sporting and she knew that they had every right to be scared. She was, after all, going to kick their asses with her friends. She put Chopper down and took out her two daggers, twirling them around her fingers.

She nodded at Zoro and Sanji, disappearing from where she was and reappearing behind a flock of marines. She tilted her head slightly to the side, dodging a bullet that had been sending her way as she put her daggers bag in their sheath.

**“You should be more aware of what’s going on around you, marines.”**

Ell laughed slightly as the flock of marines behind fell unconscious one after the other, shouts of fear and realization following after her. She followed after Zoro, who had cut down the huge door and shook her head at the disbelieving cries that had followed such action.

**“You do realize that he isn’t even straining himself?”**

The Franky Brothers gaped at Ell, who ran away after informing them that this was normal.

**“What kind of monsters are they?”**

Ell watched with fascination as Zoro easily took out all of the marines that had been stationed inside of the Courthouse. She sidestepped every one of them who had been sending her way, watching them fall unconscious on the ground.

She noted that everyone was ignoring the Holy Judge, but she decided that she would follow them. He was weak and not going to be able to stop them either way.

Ell ran towards the stairs with Zoro beside her, when she noticed that he was about to take a different route. She quickly grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him towards her, ignoring the Judge who had destroyed half of the stair.

She quickly put him on her shoulder, ignoring his complaints and said quietly.

**“Zoro, you will get lost and I would like to be able to save Robin without having to search the whole island for you.”**

Sanji laughed at the man on her shoulder, but a cold glare coming from both Nami and Ell shut him up. Nami sighed in relief as two of the Monster Trio remained quiet and nodded thankfully at Ell.

Meanwhile, the Judge had several veins popping out of his forehead, but before he (they?) could lash out towards the Straw Hats, the Franky Brothers stopped him.

**“We’ll be your opponents, Holy Judge.”**

–

Ell sighed as she let go of Zoro, who glared at her while taking out all of their attackers. Ell simply stuck out her tongue childishly, making several veins pop up on his forehead.

Deciding that it would be best if the two of them were as far away as possible from each other, Chopper, who had shifted into his muscled humanly form, took Ell and placed her on his shoulder.

Ell grumbled under her breath but concluded that since Chopper so kindly offered, that she would fight from where she was sitting. She noticed that Nami was watching her place in jealousy, but she knew that Nami didn’t need to sit right now.

Well, neither did she, but she didn’t really care about that. Creating some wooden arms, she made sure that Nami wouldn’t have to fight some marines directly. What Ell hadn’t seen coming was the fact that seeing wooden arms move around freely would freak out most of the marines into unconsciousness.

And that made her wonder how they were accepted but pinned it down as being too much stress. Zoro and Sanji were still beating their way through guards and Chopper was following them. Nami had joined Ell on Chopper’s other shoulder and looked towards the ceiling seriously.

**“Don’t worry, Nami. Luffy will be alright. Trust him.”**

Nami nodded grimly but remained quiet otherwise. As Ell looked back towards the front, she facepalmed. Both Sanji and Zoro had disappeared from sight and they were nowhere to be seen.

Both Chopper and Nami noticed it as well and sweatdropped.

**“How could we have lost them? They were there seconds ago …”**

Ell shrugged and jumped off Chopper’s shoulder, Nami following suit. The trio continued to run, as they suddenly faced one of the Jurors, who was continually muttering something about them being ‘Guilty’.

Ell raised an eyebrow at him and crouched down in a fighting position, one of her hands on the wooden floor, while the other one hovered over her dagger.

She was about to attack him, but she felt the floor beneath her start to tremble, making her jump out of the way and accidentally bump into Chopper.

Chopper had quickly placed both his hands on Ell’s shoulders, to stop her from falling in any way possible as the floor where Ell had just stood and the Juror was still standing was destroyed by a gust of wind.

She saw the slashes on the man’s body and immediately knew that Zoro as the one who had done it. Seeing it as an easy way to reach the top, she grabbed both Nami and Chopper and jumped on it.

The two of them shrieked in fear as they were pushed towards the top, Nami making grabbing motion in Ell’s direction. Ell pushed the murderous woman towards Chopper, who screamed again as he saw the threatening glare she was sending Ell’s way.

Ell silently landed on top of the courthouse, quickly dodging Nami’s staff as she tried to murder her with it.

**“ELL!!! I’M GOING TO MURDER YOU!!”**

Ell swiftly dodged all of the other woman’s attacks, noting that the entire CP9 was standing on top of the Tour of Justice. She was about to look back towards Nami when her eyes landed on a very familiar figure.

Ell froze midway, catching Nami’s staff as her eyes widened at the sight of him. Draco was standing beside CP9, looking at her in particular. She gritted her teeth together and looked away, pushing Nami’s staff towards the woman.

**“Nami, not right now. When all of this is over, I will allow you to get mad at me, but not now.”**

The way she had said it showed that she was getting serious and shifting back into her old self. Nami nodded and tried to reign in her anger, only to lash out towards Zoro, who had sat down.

Ell ignored all of her crewmates, noting that everyone was present since Usopp had arrived through the air.

 _The giants must have thrown him._ , she thought as she slowly walked towards her captain who was telling Robin that she would be able to tell them that she wanted to die after they had saved her.

She jumped on top of one of the towers and smiled coldly in Draco’s direction.

**“So we met again, Draco …”**

She knew that he had heard her; by the way, he had twitched as she had said his name. Her Nakamas’ attention, however, was solely put on Robin, all of them begging her to come back. Ell observed everyone climb on the small towers and she knew that they must have been a sight to see.

Pirates on top of the courthouse, ready to declare war to whoever was in their way. Funny, no?


	13. Where do your loyalties lay?

Ell glared at Spandam as he showed Robin the golden den-den mushi, a way to call a Buster Call onto any island of the holder’s desire. She hated the way that he so mercilessly played with human lives. It was the very same as back then.

The government was so corrupted, yet people with immense strength and power followed some weak-ass leaders. She noticed that Draco was showing some amusement, but more towards her reaction than towards the situation in general.

She shifted her glare towards him, but he solely shook his head and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes. Ell snorted at him and moved her attention back towards Robin who had disappeared behind the wall after having yelled at Spandam that he was simply too cruel.

She couldn’t hear what Robin was telling Spandam, but by the way, Draco had twitched several times, she knew that he was affected by what was being told up there. She smiled slightly at that.

**“So you do have a heart, Draco-san …”**

She saw his eyes widen at her words, but she simply looked towards Robin, ignoring his inquiring eyes. She knew that what she had said was something that hit him deep, even more so that she had always been very mean to him when they met.

Which was not something that should matter to him, since she was someone who openly – _even if she was forced at the beginning_ – stood against the government and he worked for them.

**“The more I wish to be with you, the more my fate will bare its fangs at you. No matter what sea I go to, I have this great foe I can’t shake off! Because my enemy is the world.–“**

Ell saw that Lucci’s eyes landed on her, but she didn’t show him how much Robin’s words hit home. She grinned wolfishly at him, showing no fear and glared at him at the same time. He had no right to scare her.

**“– First the incident with Aokiji, and now this! I’ve gotten you involved twice already! If this goes on forever, even good-natured people like you … will eventually consider me a burden! In time, you will betray me and leave me! That’s what I’m most afraid of! That’s why I didn’t want you to come and save me! If it’s a life I will eventually lose, I want to die, right here, right now!”**

Ell heard all of her friends murmur Robin’s name, and Elle believes that she’s the only one who snorted and chuckled at Robin’s statement. As if Luffy, a good-hearted idiot, would end up betraying those he considers his Nakamas, his crew, his friends.

However, her expression immediately shifted into an annoyed one as Spandam cackled at Robin’s distress. She wanted to use the surrounding timber to kick that man off the platform he was standing on, but Luffy had put his hand on Ell’s shoulder, making the older woman’s head snap in his direction.

One look from him made her sigh in resignation, and she crossed her arms before her chest, resigning herself to glaring daggers in Spandam’s direction and silently pouting at the unfairness of the situation.

**“Look at that symbol, Pirates! That mark represents the unity of over 170 nations in the four seas and the Grand Line!! This is the WORLD! Do you understand how insignificant you are to stand against us?! Do you understand how big of an organization is after her?!”**

Ell looked towards Luffy and saw that he had let go of her shoulder and was now looking straight towards Spandam who had pointed at the Government Flag. She sneered at the sight of it and nodded at her captain’s next words.

**“I understand Robin’s enemy very well.”**

Ell tilted her head sideways when Luffy called Sogeking.

**“Shoot that flag.”**

Ell couldn’t stop the smirk that crawled upon her lips as the flag went up in flames. She watched the disbelieving and shocked expression on Spandam’s face with growing satisfaction, hearing the soldiers below them yowl out their surprise.

**“They have declared war to the World Government!!”**

Ell looked back and was satisfied to see that most of the soldiers were gawking at the flaming flag, all not knowing what they could possibly do. Spandam was the same, however, anger seemed to take over quickly.

Ell sneered at his next words.

**“Are you pirates insane?! Don’t you bastards even dare think that you’ll be able to survive with having the World as your enemy!!”**

Luffy was quick to respond to his meaningless threat. _We are fucking pirates, going against the World Government is, like, one of the core reason for our actions._ , Ell thought smugly as she listened to the yelling contest that was going on between Luffy and Spandam.

**“I’ll happily live with it!”**

Luffy quickly shifted his attention to Robin. Unknowingly to Luffy, his next words hit Ell just as hard as they hit Robin.

**“Robin! I haven’t heard it from you yet! Say you wanna live!”**

_Having someone tell you that you have the right to wish to live when all you were ever told was that your mere existence is a sin … it feels good._ , Ell acknowledged, her heartbreaking at Robin’s expression.

She was crying, hope shining in her black eyes. Ell smiled at her next words; Robin will never forget what happens today. Neither will the World since everyone will start to fear the Straw Hats.

**“I WANNA LIVE!! TAKE ME WITH YOU TO THE OCEAN!”**

Ell cheered silently at that, knowing that one problem was now out of their way. Since Robin was now willing to come with them, all they had left to do was beat up those bastards of CP9.

 _Well, my friends will have to do. I will take care of Draco._ , Ell considered. She had some questions for Draco either way, and she would like for her crew not to be present when her questioning starts.

And it was at that point that Ell felt the Drawbridge being lowered. She had not shifted her attention towards it, watching all of the members of CP9 intently. Every member was sporting a neutral expression, except for Lucci.

He was grinning, his aura shifting with all the bloodlust he was feeling. Draco had pushed himself off the wall and had put on his ‘Justice’ cloak on, his sword still strapped at his hip. Spandam was freaking out – _which is truly embarrassing, now that Ell thought about it_ – while Zoro grinned evilly.

Meanwhile, the bridge was lowered when it suddenly stopped, making the crew curse out loud. Ell shrugged and readied all the timber she could. If need came, she would create their own bridge to save Robin.

Ell quickly shifted her attention towards Franky who was holding some kind of blueprints in his hands. She narrowed her eyes at Draco, who had changed his stance, so he could be ready to intercept Franky.

Ell hastily put her hand up, surrounding the Marine with timber. She knew that she would not be able to hold him off for long, but that should be enough to stop him from stopping Franky. She noticed that Franky nodded gratefully in her direction, but she ignored him in favor of Draco.

Nobody commented on her actions, but Luffy knew that she was only playing for time and that they had to find a way up there as fast as possible.

**“Huh? Seems like you are still as impulsive as ever, Ell.”**

Ell tensed at the sound of Draco’s voice from inside the wooden cage, but she simply put more layers of wood over the first cage.

In the meantime, Franky had put the blueprints up high and decided to burn them. Had Ell not been so concentrated on fighting off the Marine Official, she would have cheered loudly. One of those weapons gone meant that peace could remain present a little bit longer.

She saw the disbelieving looks on CP9’s faces and he was about to smirk at it when her wooden cage was destroyed entirely by Draco. She winced as he looked at her, but she remained straight and stared right back.

She could not falter when Robin’s life was at stake. Or all of her crew’s for that matter. She grinned when Franky realized that his subordinates had followed them when he was suddenly pushed off the side.

Ell glowered at the idiotic man when Nami answered to Kokoro who had told them that they had gained enough time. Ell raised an eyebrow at that, wondered what she could possibly have in mind. Before any of the crew could react though, Luffy had taken them all and jumped off the roof of the courthouse.

Ell yelped at that and held on tightly and hoped that whatever Kokoro had planned would work because there was water at the end of the cascade. And three crewmembers, including the captain, were Devil Fruit users.

She heard Nami, Usopp and Chopper shriek at their captain’s reckless actions, while the rest of the crew cursed him thoroughly. Ell felt her heart start to race and she smiled wildly. She loved this.

She laughed loudly, feeling the adrenaline rush through her whole body, making many of the crew glare at her. She shrugged at them and jumped off the train just as it crashed with the wall, snickering as they all screamed at Luffy for his recklessness.

After having decided that everyone was going to go their own way and fight members of the CP9, Ell watched them all run towards the stairs. She remained where she was, knowing that Draco was already here.

**“Come out, Draco. I know you are there.”**

A chuckle resonated through the broken floor, Ell quickly taking out her daggers and dodging a flock of weapons that had been sending her way. She glared at Draco who had appeared at the entrance where the train had pummeled through.

Ell quickly told both Kokoro and Chimney to run out of here, since it was more than just possible that she would destroy the whole floor in her fight with Draco. Ell quickly lifted one of her daggers, stopping Draco’s own blade that he had unsheathed.

Draco pushed against Ell’s dagger, jumping away as the woman used her other knife to try and slash him. Ell gritted her teeth in irritation, knowing full well that he was too strong and too fast for her at the moment.

She quickly sheathed her two daggers back and stood up straight. She looked at Draco with a trembling smile.

**“You know, Draco … if I didn’t know that you could easily beat me and would go after my friends, I would have tried to escape. But I will not allow you to go after them.”**

Draco narrowed his eyes at the young woman, who had lifted one of her hands towards him and the other one was over her head. Draco shook his head at Ell’s exclamation, a small smirk playing on his lips.

**“I’m not interested in any of the Straw Hats other than you, Ell ManderVill. You are the sole survivor of the massacre of Gabrie and the cause of it as well. You will have to pay for that crime.”**

Ell gritted her teeth together and glared at him as timber slowly started to surround her. She glared at the man, conveying all the hatred she had for the government to him.

**“I was 4 when all of it happened, dipshit. What goal could I have had to plan such a horrid action at such a young age?”**

Draco scowled at the new information he had received but tensed as Ell slowly disappeared behind a wall of timber. He quickly tried to slash it down, but nothing happened. His scowl deepened as the wall slowly took the form of a small giant.

**_ “Giant Soldier” _ **

Ell opened her eyes and saw Draco disappear from where he was and reappear beside her left shoulder. She quickly put up her arm, making the giant appear before him and stop his attack. She huffed out a small puff of air as she felt her energy slowly leave her body.

Wanting to get this over as fast as possible, she dashed forward with her daggers out again and fought Draco alongside her soldier.

Draco seemed to have a hard time, but Ell knew that he was only trying to win time. She frowned and sent another wind attack his way, making the man jump in the air. Ell quickly crouched down and propelled herself his way, hardening her leg.

As she appeared over him, she had her leg already in position and she moved it as fast as possible to kick him towards the floor.

**“So you are fighting for your friends, Ell ManderVill?”**

Ell grimaced as Draco intercepted her kick and used one of his own to send her spiraling towards the wall. Ell coughed at that and pushed herself off of the floor, blood dripping out of her older injuries.

**“Yes, I am. What of it?”**

Draco chuckled and ran at high speed towards Ell. Ell glared at him and stopped his kick by crossing her daggers, feeling the aftershock tremble in her arms.

**“If I remember correctly the last time we talked, you never wanted to join a pirate crew, not even if they threatened you with your life. What changed, Ell ManderVill?”**

Ell pushed the man away from her and panted as he reappeared behind her and slashed her across the back. She was thrown towards the wall by the brutality of the attack, crashing into it. Draco exhaled lightly and slowly walked towards Ell.

Ell glared at the man as she walked out of the debris, panting heavily. She gritted her teeth together and smirked as she realized that he seemed to have forgotten her soldier.

**“I met Monkey D. Luffy.”**

She saw him dodge her soldier’s attack, but before he could react, she had used her right leg to kick him and throw him across the floor. She knew that her attacks wouldn’t do a lot of damage, but what she could possibly do was stop him until he was bored.

Draco chuckled at the younger woman, wondering where the fleeing teenager had gone. All he saw now, was a woman determined to face her fears for the sake of her friends. The expression full of determination was a nice change from the fear-filled one she usually sported when they met alone.

**“I see.”**

More he did not say as he attacked the blue-haired woman, again and again, Ell trying to block all his attacks with the help of the small giant and her own two trusty daggers. Draco was not leaving her any room to escape or to rest, even for mere seconds.

**“So that means that I will have to inform the Top of your change of loyalties?”**

Ell’s eyes widened as he mentioned that and Draco took that moment to punch her again, making her fly across the floor. Ell coughed as she felt her face start to sting, but she quickly got up, using her soldier to stop his sword with the puppet’s own.

**“My loyalties have never been in the hands of the Top, Draco. Much like yours.”**

This time, it was Draco’s turn to freeze in surprise. Ell, much like Draco had done before, used that moment to kick him hard enough to make him fly into one of the walls near the stairs. She panted heavily and with a discarding movement of her hand, the small giant soldier disintegrated.

The pieces of timber transformed into several different weapons, all taking on a strange black hue. A small chuckle left her lips as she saw Draco stand back up, a glare on his face and his lips stretched in a thin line.

**“And yes, I do know some shit about you too. That is my job after all.”**

Draco narrowed his eyes at the sight of the many weapons that were hovering in the air, just waiting for a small movement of Ell’s hand to go after him.

**“How did you find out?”**

Ell shook her head and simply pointed at him, making the man frown in confusion. Ell twitched when she saw at the side of her eye that Franky had fallen into the water with another man, but she ignored them. They were fighting their own battle as she was fighting hers.

**“Your eyes and your sword. Don’t tell you have forgotten that I can understand your sword the best?”**

Draco tightened his grip on the handle of his sword, made out of solid timber. Ell slowly lifted her other hand, making the weapons shift tighter together and surround Ell, pointing at him.

**“Indeed, I have not.”**

Ell laughed slightly at the sheepish undertone Draco’s voice had but grinned at him nonetheless. She always had a knack to make his cool and mysterious façade crumble easily.

**“It is unfortunate that you are here today … would it have been any other day, I would have invited you for tea.”**

Draco snorted at the woman, rolling his eyes. He knew precisely what her version of inviting someone for tea was and if he could, he would gladly not accept it.

**“Well, let’s see what technic you are going to show me now. I see that you still have some difficulties with _that_ , huh?”**

Ell smirked at that and swiftly lowered her hand as she sent her weapons flying in his direction.

**_ “Hell Time” _ **

Ell dodged the attack Draco had sent her way and she could hear that her attack had landed on him, but she was still ready to continue to fight. Ell quickly dodged another set of attacks coming from Draco and she scowled.

That was one of her strongest attacks and he had taken it frontally … so how was it possible that he was still attacking her with the same force than before?

**“This is indeed a powerful attack you have there, Ell ManderVill. Too bad that you are still too weak.”**

Ell glared at the chuckling man as she realized that he was telling her the truth. She was still too weak to even think about beating him. She heard a rather worrying sound rattle the whole building, but she ignored it in favor of the man, who was now strolling in her direction.

She crouched down in her signature fighting position, ready to fight the man when suddenly a den-den mushi transmitted a worried voice.

Ell cringed at the voice and listened with growing mortification as Spandam didn’t realize that he was broadcasting the message to the whole island. She pointed at the den-den mushi as she asked Draco her question with a disbelieving tone.

**“Can you please explain to me, why the fuck you are following such an idiot?”**

Draco shrugged and answered honestly.

**“Good thing that most of our higher-ups are not like this.”**

Ell raised an eyebrow at that, a disbelieving look on her face. Draco looked to the side at that and sighed as the two of them listened to Spandam telling Kalifa that he had accidentally called a Buster Call.

She sighed as she heard Spandam tell the world that just to get Robin to the World Government, he would sacrifice the whole island. She looked at Draco with cold and accusing eyes, to which he flinched slightly.

She heard Robin inform everyone – _even though it was probably unwillingly_ – that all the lives here would be sacrificed and that Spandam was like this just because he didn’t know what had happened to Ohara.

**“Please give me one good reason why you would follow him, one good fucking reason and I will not dodge any attack that you throw at me for 5 seconds.”**

Draco remained quiet and Ell huffed angrily at that. She sat down and sighed, Draco following suit. They both knew that they should be fighting each other, but Draco could at least admit to himself that he was scared of the angry woman at the moment.

And he knew that if anger fueled her energy, he would leave this fight with more injuries than he wanted to have. Ell glared at the den-den mushi as Spandam continued to talk, totally unaware that he was not hooked to solely Kalifa.

It disgusted her to her core that the Government was ready to sacrifice thousands of their men simply for the sake of the ‘greater good’. A ‘greater good’ that meant total control.

**“I wonder when that asshole is gonna realize that he is talking to the whole island.”**

It seemed that even that he couldn’t realize since it was Robin who told him. She sighed at that and stood back up. She heard the soldiers run towards the train, scared of losing their lives and smirked. There was still a little bit of humanity in them after all.

She turned her attention to Draco, who was looking at her with shadowed eyes and asked her question angrily.

 **“Well, does this mean we will continue to fight or do you prefer to let me go?”**


	14. Pain, Loss and barely any Gain

Draco watched the female sigh and walk away from him, and he sighed as well. Ell smirked as she watched him leave the island and she winced as her injuries finally made themselves known. Rubbing the sore spots, she unsheathed her daggers and walked towards the destroyed stairs.

Her head snapped up as she heard something fall onto the ground, her eyes narrowing at the debris that were dropping in her way. She quickly created a wall of timber, making sure that her head and the rest of her body were protected as she ran up. She couldn’t remain here any longer; her friends might need her help.

Ell felt as if she had been roaming the whole tower for hours before she finally found Zoro and Usopp – _Why the fuck was Zoro holding onto Usopp?!_. She shook herself out of her stupor and glared at the gigantic reindeer who was the reason why the tower was shaking.

**“Wait! That’s Chopper?!”**

Zoro’s head snapped in her direction, and she ignored his narrowed eyes. She quickly ran to his side when her eyes finally landed on the giraffe and the wolf. A sweatdrop appeared on her head as she saw the two of them bicker with each other.

**“Well, isn’t their relationship a perfect representation of Zoro and Sanji’s?”**

Ell wondered and narrowly dodged Zoro’s sword. She glared at him as she turned towards him, but Zoro simply growled at her to be more careful and not let her attention stray away from what’s important.

Ell pouted at that and watched with raised eyebrows as Franky pushed Chopper back with one of his attacks. She turned her attention towards the giraffe – _probably Kaku_ – and the wolf – _this one, she had no idea who it was_ – and cracked her knuckles. She had a feeling that Zoro would take care of Kaku, so she turned her attention towards the wolf.

She flinched back when she noticed that he was sitting just beside Nami and Usopp, her eyes narrowing on his relaxed stance. She noticed that he was talking with the two members and she scoffed when she heard him say that he hates killing.

As she approached them, she noticed that a key was not so far away from Usopp, but as Sogeking was about to go for the key, she decided to interrupt.

**“You’re a goddamn predator, Wolfie, don’t try to fool us in believing your fucking lies.”**

She noticed that Usopp had cringed back at her cold tone, while the wolf was looking at her with bloodthirsty eyes. She never let her eyes off of the wolf as she approached the key and stood before it protectively.

**“You may be able to fool that idiot behind me, but I am not fooled that easily, bastard.”**

Ell knew that she shouldn’t really curse that much, but she was feeling very irritated and angry with their boss, and she had the chance to lash out at a subordinate. And that was what she had planned to do when the wolf attacked her.

Ell blocked his attack with her two daggers, gritting her teeth together when she felt her injuries protest against the pressure. She pushed the wolf away from her with her right foot, grunting as she took several steps backward.

She noticed that someone had taken the key and she momentarily glanced back to see both Nami and Sogeking trembling in fear. She quickly looked back towards the wolf, realizing her mistake too late as she fell victim to his attack.

**_ “Jus–Shigan!” _ **

Ell coughed out blood as she felt his claws enter her body and slam her towards the nearest wall. She cringed as the pain multiplied, but she pushed past it and watched with mortification as the wolf went after Usopp. She tried to push herself off the debris, but her body protested at every move.

She heard Nami scream in fright and beg the wolf not to kill Usopp, but the only answer she got was the wolf's maniac cackling.

**“Now, die peacefully.”**

_NO!_ , Ell wanted to scream, but all that left her lips was a pained whimper. She was now sitting, and she glared at the man as he was about to strike down Usopp when suddenly someone kicked him away from her long-nosed Nakama.

A relieved smile appeared on her lips as she stood on wobbly legs and approached Nami from behind. She silently thanked Sanji that he arrived on time, but as his eyes landed on her bloodied figure, he appeared beside her immediately, checking her injuries.

A small laugh left her lips, which she regretted immediately after, as pain rocketed through her body once more. Her previous injuries from Lucci had opened again, Draco’s were still very much present, and the wolf’s were just adding on top of it.

**“Sanji, stop worrying. You have a wolf to chase, hunter.”**

Sanji’s expression changed from worry to anger so fast that Ell couldn’t stop herself from chuckling. Ell sat down beside Nami as the impending feeling of doom started to wash over her. She looked out of the hole the wolf had created, and she saw the gates of justice.

 _As if there was any justice in what is going down …_ , Ell thought angrily as Sanji explained that their situation just went from bad to worse. The doors were opening, meaning that Luffy had still not reached Robin. Sanji encouraged Usopp to realize that there was something that only he could do.

Ell smiled as she felt the disbelief pour out of Usopp and she waited patiently for him to understand. When the wolf used _Soru_ , she felt Nami take the back of her cloak and drag her with Usopp towards the stairs.

She slapped Nami’s hand away from her collar, making the woman wince as Ell ran beside her. She glared at the female who looked sheepishly to the side.

**“Next time you do that shit, Nami, I’ll sue you.”**

Nami flinched at Ell’s cold tone and nodded, dragging Usopp behind them. Ell looked from side to side, making sure that there was no one left who could attack them. She noticed that at the side of the wall, signs were telling them that it was a shortcut.

She nodded towards Nami, and they both quickly ran in that direction, ignoring the rumbling of the tower. They both ignored Usopp’s whining as they neared the top of the tower. It was there that they should go.

_Wait for us, Robin!_

–

Ell watched with a sadistic smirk as Usopp shot Spandam, making him fly backward. She licked her lips as she saw that Usopp didn’t simply stopped at that and shot down all the surrounding marines as well.

She smiled as she heard both Zoro and Sanji’s voice just below and she nodded towards Usopp. Usopp nodded back and concentrated on the scene before them, while she sat down and leaned against the wall where he was just standing.

What she hadn’t planned though was that the stone wall would give up under her weight and make her fall back. A high-pitched yelp left her lips as she fell backward, Usopp watching with wide eyes as their blue-haired comrade fell on top of both Sanji and Zoro.

A pained grunt left her lips as she glared at the wall and she slowly stood up. Sanji was swooning over her while Zoro glared at her.

**“Did you have to fall on us?!”**

Ell glared right back and pointed at the stone wall, where Usopp was leaning over, his expression hidden beneath his mask.

**“Not my fault that that goddamn wall gave up under me and made me fall!”**

Ell growled right back, which made Zoro snort. She raised an eyebrow at his reaction and waited for his comeback.

**“Maybe you were too heavy?”**

Ell slapped Zoro at the back of his head, and before the man could complain about that, she pointed her dagger at his throat. Her voice was ice cold as a sweet smile appeared on her lips.

**“Now, listen here, Greenie. Never, and I mean NEVER, tell someone that they are too heavy. It hurts feelings, shit you seem like you don’t have.”**

Zoro glared at the woman before him but nodded nonetheless. Sanji was glaring at Zoro as well, but Ell ignored him in favor of Robin, who, while she was fighting with Zoro, had tried to run away, only for the marines to try and shoot at her.

Franky had appeared out of nowhere and saved her from dying. She watched with growing interest as Spandam’s facial expression morphed into one of disbelief. She heard Usopp tell Franky that all the keys had been delivered successfully.

Ell frowned as she heard Zoro tell them that they had to hurry. She nodded at that and waited for Franky to report to them. Just as she was about to explode from her impatience, they all heard Franky’s joyful voice.

**“I unlocked Nico Robin’s cuffs!”**

Ell smiled at that, but it quickly disappeared as a colossal explosion appeared at the fence around the island. She frowned at that and tensed up, unsheathing her daggers, ready to defend. Zoro and Sanji noticed her tense body-language, and each readied himself for an attack.

Zoro tried to tell Usopp to jump from where he was to them, and Ell joined in, trying to persuade their sniper to leave the tower where he stood. She smiled encouragingly at him when suddenly the tower exploded where he stood, making her smile freezing on her lips.

**“Usopp!”**

Dread filled her guts as she saw a huge fire replace Usopp, her eyes wide and filled with mortification. She slowly turned her head towards both Sanji and Zoro, who were both still looking at the fire.

She knew that Zoro and Sanji had called him out with her, but she couldn’t stop herself from running in the tower after the sniper. It was now her turn to sport a disbelieving expression as she yelled his name again.

She stood alongside Sanji and Zoro as they all couldn’t believe that Usopp had potentially been blasted away. Just as she was starting to mourn him, something fell from the sky and created a cloud of dust. Ell narrowed her eyes when suddenly Usopp appeared out of nowhere.

She let out a relieved sigh as the trio started yelling at each other. She quickly snatched the den-den mushi away from Usopp and told Robin that they were heading her way. She hung up and put the den-den mushi in her backpack with the other ones.

–

She watched amusedly as both Zoro and Sanji dragged Usopp by his cape, shaking her head at the comical banter they were having. She shook her head at them and laughed when Usopp tried to pass as if he was too hurt to walk.

**“I think I broke all 6 of my ribs …”**

He groaned, and Ell shook her head at that. Sanji calmly corrected Usopp, his eyes glowing slightly with mirth.

**“You don’t have only 6 ribs.”**

Ell suddenly tensed as she heard the sound of water coming their way. She slowed down her pace, a frown replacing the previous amused expression she had. Sanji noticed that, and he turned towards her, frowning as well.

**“Is there something wrong, Ell-chan?”**

Before Ell could answer Sanji, she froze mid-step at the sight before her. Nami, Kokoro, Chimney and her pet were running their way and were being chased down by a huge wave of water. She paled considerably because water meant death for her.

She started to tremble at the sight of it and she noticed that Zoro was trying to cut through the wall to escape. She paled, even more, when he wasn’t able to do so and she felt herself drown already. She felt someone grab her arm and her grey eyes quickly locked with black eyes.  

**“I’ve got you, Ell.”**

Ell couldn’t answer Zoro as they were hit by a torrent of water and before she knew it, Ell had lost consciousness.

–

When Ell started to regain consciousness slowly, she felt someone hold her tightly, as if fearing that if they wouldn’t, she would be lost to the word. She slowly opened her eyes and blinked several times, trying to recover her footing before looking around.

She frowned when she saw that everyone was looking dejected and traumatized and she wondered what could have been so traumatizing that even Zoro and Sanji looked dejected. She slowly pushed on Nami’s chest, wanting to get some space, gaining the gloomy woman’s attention.

She watched with fascination as the orange-haired woman’s face brightened upon seeing her awake and her eyes started to twinkle.

**“ELL! You are finally awake! We thought we had lost you for a moment!”**

Ell chuckled at that and nodded, knowing that there must have been some truth in her statement. Although, she had a feeling that Nami was slightly happy for her to be alive because that meant that Ell would still have to pay her debt towards her.

She groaned at that realization and sat straight up, her head in her hands as she remembered why she had to a debt towards Nami.

­–

**_“Nami, whatcha doing right now?”_ **

_Ell had been curious about the orange-haired woman’s activities and she had wanted to get to know her crewmembers better. She thought that with striking a discussion with one of the only two other women on board would be a great start._

_More so because Robin seemed to do everything in her power to avoid her, Ell had to admit that it had hurt, to have someone actively trying to evade her attention and company, but she had remained quiet about her feelings._

_Like most of the time. Either way, she had started a conversation with Nami, listening as the navigator explained to her what she was doing. Ell had found it interesting that such a young woman had begun drawing maps at an even younger age._

_In that aspect, the two of them were very similar, since Ell had started to collect information and to seek out the truth at a young age too. At first, it was simple things, like finding out that the Santa Clause wasn’t real or that the Easter bunny was actually her parents._

_However, the truths she found out started to become darker and harder to digest the older she got. As she reached the age of four, she had stumbled upon a weird fruit and had thought it was a great idea to bring it back to her mom to show it._

_What she hadn’t expected upon entering the house, was to see that her father was going at it with another woman, moaning and such. Ell had always had that ability to blend into the crowd and disappear and she had quickly used it to leave the house unseen._

_She had eaten the fruit afterward, unaware that it was actually a Devil Fruit and she only found out about it because her mother had found her and seen her take another bite of the awful fruit._

_Snapping back to reality, she realized that she had accidentally told Nami the whole story of how she started to become an information collector. She had been so embarrassed by her inattention that she had sprung from her chair and was trying to flee, but Nami had other plans._

_After having taken her wrist and forced the older woman to sit down, she had said:_

**_“Ell, let’s play a round of Poker. You know how that goes, right?”_ **

_Ell had never been good at playing Poker and she had a feeling that she would lose a lot of money, but she had ignored her gut feeling and had accepted Nami’s offer._

_And that is how she ended up being indebted to Nami on her very first day on board. It had taken Usopp, Chopper, and Luffy to cheer her up with their shenanigans. In the end, she accepted her fate and had given Nami part of what she had already on her that day._

–

As she snapped out of her flashback, she noticed that everyone – _excluding Sanji, who was kissing the mast and Zoro, who still looked doubtful_ – was hugging Robin. A small smile was on her lips as she checked herself and saw that the majority of her wounds were still closed, except for one or two cuts.

Ell stood up from where she had been laying and walked towards Robin. She ignored the discussion going on between Sanji, Zoro, and Franky and put her hands on the taller woman.

**“I’m pleased that you are back, Robin. We all missed you amongst us.”**

A small smile appeared on the black-haired woman’s lips and before Robin could react, Ell hugged her as well. The two of them knew remained in that position for quite some time before they both let go and nodded at each other.

She turned her body towards Franky at that same time that he was confidently exclaiming that his friends and that the Franky Brothers would survive and come to them soon enough. A frown appeared on Ell’s face as she started to notice the ominous melody that was surrounding them.

She walked towards the four men who were standing on top of a tower and heard Nami yell out that they were ready and only waiting for Luffy to arrive. She remained quiet and stood beside Sanji, who nodded in her direction and looked straight towards Enies Lobby.

**“It will be tough to get out of here, seeing that there are as many ships as we have members right now.”**

Ell nodded at that and frowned when a headache made itself known to her and this could only mean two things. Either there was a massive fire somewhere or she had overused her abilities. And she knew for a fact that that would not be possible because she hadn’t used her ability that often.

At least, not often enough to get her a headache. She glanced in the men’s direction and calmly informed them of her discovery.

**“Guys, there is a huge fire somewhere.”**

None of the guys answered her statement, but she knew that they had listened to her and taken in the information. Suddenly, someone started reporting to the ship and Ell had her notebook out before anyone could react.

**_“Reporting from the Northeast side of the main gate. Marines and Government officials in Enies Lobby have been accommodated. Also, we’ve confirmed that approximately 50 pirates including some giants are at the main gate.”_ **

Ell’s gut suddenly tightened as a foreboding feeling washed over her like rain and she quickly looked around, trying to find the source of it. She distantly heard Franky laugh at the reporter, stating that he was talking about his Nakamas, but Ell ignored him and walked forward.

Sanji and Zoro both looked at her with a frown and Usopp’s facial expression hidden beneath his mask. As Ell stood on the edge of the slightly destroyed tower and she felt her whole body tense at the sight before her.

**_“We have completed the obliteration mission by means of fire. Death is confirmed for all of them. As it stands, it is impossible to have any survivors left on the main Island.”_ **

Ell knew that she shouldn’t be surprised that the Marine would do such a thing, but she couldn’t stop herself. She knew that she should have been stronger than this, that she should have waited until all of them were safe and sound on their new ship, before letting her feelings take controls.

She knew, she knew, yet she couldn’t do a thing to stop the tears from falling as she watched a sea of fire engulf the whole main island and destroy everything in its way. She felt the pain of the past start to creep up on her slowly, but the rest of the report was what stopped it and dragged her back to reality.

**_“Reporting from number 2 Warship. The courthouse and the tower of justice located on the southeast of the island, as well as the underground passage that leads to the bridge, have been demolished.”_ **

_Disgust_

Ell was totally and utterly disgusted with the Marine. How could they carelessly sacrifice so many lives, just for the sake of their so-called greater justice?

_Anger_

Angry at the sight before her and at the feeling that everything that she had done, everything she had tried to do, was for nothing.

_Hatred_

She knew herself well enough to know that the next Marine ship or Marine that would cross her path would feel the depth of her hatred towards them. They would feel it and suffer.

_Guilt_

Ell looked to the side to see Franky looking in the same direction as she was and guilt crept up on her. It was like a ferocious snake, slowly surrounding her and choking her. He had just possibly lost whoever he had been fighting for.

Ell looked down as the last bit of the report reached their ears.

**_“The only target left is the Bridge of Hesitation.”_ **


	15. Destruction and Last Goodbyes

Ell knew that she wasn’t alone in her feelings as a hand landed on her shoulder. She looked back to see that Sanji was looking at her with hooded eyes, indicating that he was as much touched by the loss of lives as she was.

She hadn’t needed him to know that she wasn’t the only one suffering from the information the report had given to them. She knew that Usopp would feel bad about the loss of the two giants, that Franky would feel bad about the loss of his Family and that Chimney, Kokoro and their pet would feel the loss of that fighting frog.

She knew all too well how it felt like to lose everyone you loved, everyone you cherished. She looked down and shrugged Sanji’s hand off, nodding in his direction, before walking towards the ship. As she reached the edge, she saw Robin on her knees, pain evident on her face.

**“You can’t see humans on maps.”**

_So much truth packed in one single sentence and yet … the World Government doesn’t give a fuck._ , Ell thought bitterly, memories of screams, fire, and bodies filling her mind. Trying to shake the horrible memories away, she shook her head, but the pictures were engraved there.

Part of her wanted to leave, but she froze mid-step when she heard Franky scream.

**“HURRY UP, STRAWHAT!! YOUR NAKAMAS ARE WAITING FOR YOU HERE! BASTARD, I’LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU IF YOU END UP DEAD!!”**

Her head snapped in his direction, and she smiled. She shook her head and changed her plan. Instead of walking towards the ship, she walked to stand beside Usopp and Sanji, awaiting Luffy’s return.

As Franky told them that Lucci was very strong, Ell knew that Luffy would have a hard time fighting him. But she couldn’t let herself lose faith in him. She saw his determination to get back Robin; she saw the kindness that was so rare in pirates, so unique, that she could name only a few good ones.

**“He wouldn’t die, would he?”**

At Usopp’s worried tone, Ell’s head snapped in his direction, making said-man shriek in fear at the fierce glare she was throwing his way. Ell gritted her teeth together and tried to calm herself as she coldly answered Usopp’s very idiotic question.

**“Luffy will not die. Have more faith in him, you asshole.”**

After seeing him flinch, she guiltily looked the other way, hearing Zoro mutter an insult at Usopp. However, unlike with her, he rose to the bait and questioned him as to why the first mate was insulting him.

Before Zoro could answer and Ell could punch him in the face for doubting his captain, the bridge before them flew into pieces, as it was destroyed by the Marine.

Ell took a step back at the horrible sound of wood snapping and being shattered in a thousand pieces, but tried to remain calm and impassive. She knew that this meant that it would get way harder to get Luffy back, but she had faith in all of them.

They were going to get him back and get out of this hellhole, no matter what. She threw a determined glance in the way of her friends and ignored their shocked expression as she marched forward. When she was confident that the whole crew’s attention was on her, she merely lifted her left hand.

**“Have you all forgotten what my Devil Fruit is?”**

Before anyone could answer, however, the report resonated through the ship not far away from where they were. Ell frowned, but left her hand in the air, slowly manipulating the wood that the Marine ships were made of.

**_“All Ships: Form a battle formation around the Bridge of Hesitation. We have confirmed that there are ten pirates. Including Pirate Hunter Zoro, Nico Robin, and the Traitor, Ell ManderVill. On the Bridge and on the convoy.”_ **

Ell chuckled, gaining confused glares, but she simply walked forward and let her raised hand move towards her front. She was facing all the Marine ships that were coming their way, and she had most of them pictured in her mind.

**_“They are probably the main force which defeated the CP9 in the Tower of Justice.”_ **

A slow, bloodthirsty smirk appeared on her lips as she heard the last bit of the report and she heard the lower ranked Marines’ disbelief at the information. She quickly glanced back towards her comrades, to see that they were not looking at her anymore.

No, they were all ready to fight, and she knew that even if she will most probably enjoy it, that this will be one of the more dangerous fights that they will have to fight. Suddenly, Usopp pointed towards the first part of the bridge and yelled out Luffy’s name.

A relieved sigh left Ell’s lips as she glanced in that direction and let Franky, Usopp, and Sanji cheer him on, relaying to him the good news. Her smirk momentarily transformed into a softer smile at her crewmates but quickly turned into a frown as she felt themselves being surrounded by all the Marine’s ship.

**“In the end, it will come down to this. A game of endurance …”**

Ell chuckled bitterly at Zoro’s sentence, knowing just how true that was. She was starting to feel her body ache with all the wounds she had acquired throughout her fights, and she knew that she would not be able to use her power to assess more of her surroundings.

Only wood will be able to help her at the moment, and she really hoped that it would be enough. And she hoped that her friends would also be able to survive this fight, Ell feeling like if anything happened to them, she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from feeling guilty.

Quickly pushing such thoughts away, she concentrated her attention on the nearing ships, where over hundreds and hundreds of Marine Officers were standing.

**“We do not need people with a rank below that of a lieutenant commander to go to the front. Assault unit consisting of 200 captains and commanders only. Take care of them immediately.”**

Ell was very amused by the fact that so many Marine Officers were here for only the ten of them, but she knew that they wanted to not only destroy them but to eradicate them utterly. The Marine would have no less for ‘lowly’ pirates like them.

She felt the wood slowly move beneath her will and she smirked as she heard one of the higher ranked Marine Officer holler at his fleet to charge and retrieve Robin.

**“As if we would let you touch Robin again, you filthy pieces of shit.”**

Ell exclaimed, her voice resonating through the whole valley, gaining many shocked shrieks and Robin’s surprised gasps.

**“You would have to kill all of us before we allow you to go through with that action.”**

Ell used her clones to take out several men quickly and frowned when she heard the confused shouts of her friends. Ignoring the Marines that were coming for her, she promptly created a wave of weapons and let it fall down upon the Commanders that were coming her way.

Unsheathing her two daggers, she used her control over timber to create herself a path over the officers, taking them out and holding on.

She barely heard Franky warn them that most of them were Devil Fruit Users, but what she clearly heard was Robin’s response.

**“So are we.”**

Using her Devil Fruit, she manipulated it to have several soldiers help all of her friends, but knew that it wouldn’t help that much. Like Zoro had previously affirmed, this was a fight of endurance and the only way for them to win this is for Luffy to win his battle against Lucci.

Ell quickly walked over everyone’s head, barely dodging all the bullets that were coming her way, when she noticed that Usopp had stopped fighting and was looking in Luffy’s direction.

She frowned when she helped Zoro fight off the Marines that were coming towards Usopp from behind, but as she saw him lift his hand to take off his mask, her anger was slowly transforming into confusion.

 _Usopp?_ , she thought as she watched him inhale deeply.

**“LUFFY!!”**

Ell smiled and nodded at Zoro, signaling him that they should protect him, while he yells at Luffy. Zoro sighed exasperatedly but nodded nonetheless. Ell smiled at that and chuckled when a Commander tried to strike her down.

Swiftly using her legs to jump over him, she used her momentum to kick the Marine into one of the surrounding boats. Hearing the breaking of wood, she nodded satisfied and went back to kicking Marines off the platform or unconscious.

Using her Devil Fruit, she created several gigantic wooden arms that came out of the boats and trashed those, making many sink into the ocean.

**“LUFFY!”**

Ell flinched at the volume of Usopp’s desperate plea, but she remained quiet as she slammed the back of her dagger into a Marine’s face and swiftly dodged Zoro’s incoming attack that was aimed at the Marines behind her.

**“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”**

Using the wooden arms that she had created, she let them push the Officers away from behind Robin and Nami, helping them as well.

**“WAKE UP!!”**

Ell glanced in Franky’s direction, wondering if the cyborg needed help, but as she saw him blast some Marines into the ocean, she had her answer. He can take care of himself.

**“LUFFY!”**

She saw the hooded expressions on everyone’s faces as they heard Usopp yell for Luffy to continue fighting, but she decided not to point it out. Fighting with a whole fleet of Marines was already tiring enough that arguing with each other was out of the question.

**“D-DON’T MISUNDERSTAND ME!!”**

Ell chuckled at that, knowing that Usopp was going to lie his way through his speech to Luffy.

**“I CAME HERE TO RESCUE ROBIN!”**

She noticed that most of the crew was sporting an amused expression and she knew that, besides Luffy and maybe even Chopper, most of them were seeing right through it.

**“IT’S NOT LIKE I CAME HERE TO SEE YOUR FACE!!”**

Ell shook her head as she punched another Marine in the face and dodged two incoming Marines, using their momentum against them and knocking them out by slamming their heads together.

**“HEY, YOU, THE BOSS CAT OF CP9!! I’LL BE YOUR OPPONENT!! COME AT ME!!”**

Ell froze in her attack at that, stumbling over her feet. Zoro quickly slashed the Marine that was going to strike her down, watching with a worried frown as Usopp continued his speech. Ell quickly stood up again and hoped that this was one of his lies.

She gritted her teeth together and didn’t stop Usopp, even though her mind was screaming at her to do so. Remembering that she still had her bag, she looked back and let out a sigh of relief that it was still there.

She noticed that her coat was destroyed in several places and this made her sigh in annoyance. It meant that she would have to get a new one and she wasn’t really ready to go shopping with Nami on the next island.

**“Right, COME HERE! BOSSS CAT! I’LL BLOW YOU AWAY!!”**

Ell momentarily glanced back and frowned when she saw that Usopp was trembling, hoping that whatever the boy was doing, that it would benefit them and not sign a death warrant.

**“ARE YOU AN IDIOT?! STOP IT, USOPP! YOU’LL GET KILLED!!”**

Ell smiled at the sound of Luffy’s voice, even when it was laced with fear and worry for his friend. It meant that he had still some energy in him and was not entirely helpless in the tower where she could hardly reach him.

**“SHUT UP!!! WHAT CAN YOU, A HALF-DEAD MAN, DO?!!”**

Something seemed to change in the atmosphere as it lightened up ever so slightly. Ell smiled and kicked a Marine away from behind Zoro, and as she checked over the whole crew, she noticed that someone was missing.

 _Where the heck is Sanji?_ , she thought worriedly, trying to pinpoint his presence without much success. Hoping that he was safe _– even though she was more praying at this point, but she would never admit it_ – she used her daggers to stop a sword from slicing her in two.

**“I’LL FINISH HIM OFF!!!”**

Ell grunted at the impact and pushed it away, feeling her wounds start to manifest themselves in waves of pain. She quickly kicked the man away and used her daggers to slash through another one, feeling her movements start to slow down ever so slightly.

**“THEN STAND UP RIGHT AWAY!! AND DON’T ACT LIKE YOU’RE ABOUT TO DIE!!”**

Ell smiled at that and pushed Zoro slightly to help him dodge the incoming Marine, before booting another one that was going after Usopp. She let out a pained moan as one of them was able to slice her shoulder, but she quickly retaliated with an attack of her own, jumping back and crouching in a defensive position before Usopp.

She growled as she saw more Marines jump onto the broken Bridge, her eyebrows moving into a frown, her breathing quickening slightly.

**“IT’S NOT LIKE YOU!!”**

Ell tensed at that but remained concentrated on the Marines before her. She sliced through a bunch of Commodores that had tried to sneak up on her and pushed the rest of them back, her panting growing more substantial with the passing time.

**“EVEN IF THERE ARE BILLOWS OF SMOKE, WE CAN STILL SEE THE SKY! WE CAN STILL SEE THE OCEAN!”**

She heard Robin grunt and Nami squeal, which made Ell’s head snap in their direction. She gritted her teeth together as she saw that they were surrounded by more Marines than she cared to count. As she was about to help them, she felt a sword come down, and she swiftly countered it with her daggers.

She quickly glanced in Robin’s and Nami’s direction, expecting to see them in a tight spot, but she sighed in relief as she saw that the two women had taken care of them.

**“IT ISN’T LIKE IT’S HELL HERE!! DON’T ACT LIKE YOU ARE ABOUT TO DIE!!”**

Ell felt more than saw the tears falling down Usopp’s face, and a weak smile appeared on her lips, but it disappeared as soon as it appeared. The Marines had somehow been able to surround her entirely, and she glared at the Seastone cuffs that she saw in their hands.

 _This is not good …_ , she thought fearfully, even though her facial expression betrayed none of her thoughts and feelings.

**“DON’T MAKE ME WORRY TOO MUCH, DAMNIT!!”**

Ell felt the presence of stronger Marines reach them, and she prayed to whatever God was out there that they would be able to get out of the tight spot they had found themselves in.

 _I want to have more fun with my nakamas …_ , the moment that thought flew through her head, she stilled, which the Marines tried to use against her. However, Ell used her Devil Fruit to create a vast doom to protect herself. New determination flowed through her veins as she let the doom disintegrate.

 _We WILL survive and live through more adventures than we could count!,_ Ell believed seriously, using the surrounding wood to push the Marines away from her, snatching the Seastone cuffs and chucking them in Franky’s direction.

**“WIN!! AND WE’LL GO BACK TOGETHER, LUFFY!!!!”**

Franky momentarily glanced at the injured woman, nodding gratefully for the cuffs, before concentrating on his own fight. This time, Ell’s smile never left her lips as she heard Usopp’s words. And Luffy’s reply only served to fuel her with energy and to fight even more ferociously than before.

**“OF COURSE!!!”**

Ell came back to back with Zoro and Usopp as they pushed the Marines away from them. She panted heavily and begged for Luffy to win. She trusted her captain to come back to them. He had to. No matter what!

As Ell slashed through a Marine, a deafening sound of something being shattered reached her ears and she glanced in the direction of where the sound had come from. Her eyes widened as she saw that the top of the tower in which Luffy had been fighting Lucci was utterly destroyed.

Time seemed to freeze for everyone as they watched with wide eyes the dust settle around the first tower. She noticed Lucci’s unconscious figure first before her teary eyes landed on her captain. She sniffled back her tears and booted a Marine in the gut, awaiting Luffy’s shout.

It didn’t take long for him to call out for Robin.

**“WE’RE GOING BACK!! ROBIN!!”**

It was at that moment that everyone heard the panicked report through the whole sea surrounding Enies Lobby, Ell and her crewmates all heaving a sigh of relief for their captain. _What a reckless idiot._ , Ell thought affectionately, listening carefully to the report.

**_“R-Reporting to all the Warships! Mr. Rob Lucci from CP9 has been defeated by the Pirate ‘Straw Hat Luffy’ JUST NOW!”_ **

While the Marines started to panic, Ell used that moment to push the majority of them off the platform with a gigantic wooden arm, caring less that some were Devil Fruit users. After Usopp exclaimed Luffy’s victory, the whole crew started to cheer him on, and she had started moving towards the ship even before Nami yelled at them to escape.

However, she froze mid-step as she heard a very familiar voice through the den-den mushi the Marines had used to report. A full-blown grin appeared on her lips as her eyes landed on Franky, who had frozen as well.  After explaining how they survived – _which was really surprising_ – Franky started to cry, and Zoro sweatdropped at that.

Ell chuckled from beside him but froze when she heard the report tell everyone that Luffy was fatally wounded and wouldn’t move. She gritted her teeth together as she ran towards Usopp, stumbling a bit.

She glared at her feet as she arrived beside him, but her head snapped immediately in Nami’s direction as she heard a huge explosion where they escape route was supposed to be. Her eyes widened at the huge cloud of dust and flames that appeared in place of the ship, and she fell to one knee at the pain in her head.

She grounded her teeth together trying to regain her composure, noting that Usopp had moved before her to protect her. She quickly glanced up and nodded gratefully at him, but as she did so, black spots started to fill her vision.

She felt someone take her arm and drag her up as they yelled at Luffy not to give up, but she couldn’t be sure. She felt the panic start to fill everyone’s mind, but even though she tried to will her body to move, she couldn’t.

She didn’t know how long she was in that barely conscious state, but the next thing she knew was that another explosion rocketed through the bridge and another fire appeared. A small whimper of pain left her lips as she pushed against whoever was holding her.

She opened her eyes and walked towards Robin, nodding at the woman weakly before landing on her knees before her. She was facing Luffy, and she suddenly stilled as she heard a melody she thought she would never hear again.

Her head whipped down, and she felt tears fill her eyes as a choked sob left her lips. At that moment, she could care less that she was losing control over her feelings since she couldn’t stop herself.

She pushed herself up and tried to create a bridge for Robin to push Luffy towards them, but she failed miserably, the wooden bridge shattering in a thousand pieces, much like her control over her energy. She had none left, and she would not be able to do anything to help.

Helplessness filled her gut, but her head snapped in Usopp’s direction when he said that there was another voice calling out for Luffy. She knew who it was. The last missing comrade of the Straw Hat pirates.

**“JUMP INTO THE OCEAN! INTO THE OCEAN!”**

She smiled at that and used the last bit of her determination and kicked a Marine away. She smiled brightly, even though it was painful, but she ignored it. She relished the sound of the voice that she knew that she was hearing alongside her crewmates.

_ Let’s go back, everyone! _

Ell let a laugh bubble from her throat as she took Franky’s arm, who was still very confused at what was happening but didn’t protest when she dragged him to the edge of the bridge.

_ Back to the sea of adventure again!! _

She heard the Marines wonder if they had gone mad, but she ignored them and nodded at her Nakamas as they all stood on the edge of the bridge, all sporting a huge smile or grin, knowing who had come to save them.

_ I’ve come to get you! _

It was Merry.

Ell knew that she should be scared that she was jumping into Water, but she could care less. She trusted her friends to take care of her.

And thus, they all jumped over the edge, getting surprised shouts from the Marine. As Ell made contact with the Ocean, she felt herself go limp, but before she could entirely lose consciousness, she felt herself being thrown aboard the Going Merry.

As she landed with a loud thud, she groaned slightly, but the immense grin never left her lips, her eyes starting to sparkle with joy. Merry responded to her happiness with her own melody, reassuring Ell that she was still well enough to fight for them.

 _Thank you, Merry._ , Ell thought as she slowly sat up. She heard Robin thank them all and she simply got a huge smile in response. Everyone was simply happy to have her back. She heard Spandam’s voice, but she was too weak to do anything.

Ell’s gaze quickly locked with Nami’s and a small, apologizing smile appeared on her lips. Nami simply shook her head. The next thing that happened was too fast for Ell to process, but as everything stilled, she realized something.

 _The Marine suffered an utter defeat. They lost Enies Lobby, more than half of their fleet and they weren’t able to execute Robin like they wanted to. THAT is something that will go down in history._ , Ell mused to herself, slowly lifting her hand in which she held her bag. _And I will make sure of that._

–

Ell watched silently from where she was sitting on the Merry as everyone wondered who had steered the ship to them. Ell knew who it was, but she couldn’t, for the life of her, tell them. Merry’s melody had told her that they will have to find out in due time.

Ell tilted her head backward as she looked up to the sky and wondered about her life. Maybe it was time that she changed her goal a little bit. Her gaze landed on her black-haired captain, and a soft smile touched her lips.

Yes, she knew what she would do now. She had seen how he was fighting for his crew. If Luffy still wanted her, then she was going to give it her all to get him to reach his goal. Luffy was indeed the only man she was willing to have over her and order her around.

Her attention was snapped out of her thoughts as she tensed up as the Merry’s melody darkened tremendously, making her tense up in worry. Tears gathered at the edge of her eyes, and she ducked her head knowing that her end was approaching with huge steps.

Ell shook her head in hopes of blinking the tears away, but they remained lodged where they were. She noticed that the Galley-La had met them halfway from Water 7 and she smiled grimly at the enthusiastic response the crew was giving him.

However, before anyone could react, she felt the Merry dip forward unnaturally. She clenched her teeth together as she stood up from where she had been sitting jumped over the huge crack the Merry had just received.

She heard Luffy beg for Iceburg to save her, but Ell knew that it was already too late.

**“Let … Let her sleep already.”**

Nobody spoke as Iceburg explained to Luffy that it was hopeless to try to save Merry.

**“I’m seeing … a miracle right now. A miracle … From a ship that has long since reached its limit. I’ve been a shipwright for many years, yet I’ve never seen such an amazing ship. It lived a very admirable life.”**

Ell felt the tears start to slowly slide down her cheeks as she walked towards the edge of the ship. _It was an amazing journey with you, Merry. I thank you for that._ , Ell closed her eyes and send her thanks to the ship.

**“Ell?”**

Ell slowly turned towards her captain, seeing his shadowed face looking in her direction. She nodded in his direction, showing him that she was listening.

**“Is it okay, if we let her go down in flames?”**

Ell tensed at her captain’s question, but deep inside she already knew her answer. She walked towards her captain, towering over him and giving him a warm, close-eyed smile.

**“Do what you feel is right, Captain. I trust you.”**

Ell felt him nod and she followed the rest of the crew as they stood on a bark, not far away from Merry. Luffy stood on a bark alone, before all of them as he told Merry his goodbyes. This time, Ell didn’t try to stop the tears that were now freely moving down her cheeks.

**“Merry. The bottom of the sea is dark and lonely – We’ll see you off here.”**

She noticed that she wasn’t the only one who was crying for the ship and part of her was wondering why she was crying for a ship, but that cynical side was quickly shut down as she knew that she had grown to love the ship as part of their crew.

**“Thank you for carrying us all this time, Merry.”**

As the flames grew bigger, Ell’s eyes widened as the melody that filled the air wasn’t giving her a headache as all the previous fires did. On the contrary, it gave off a soothing melody, and she knew that this was Merry’s gift to her.

_Thank you._

_ I’m sorry. _

Everyone tensed as Merry’s voice reached their ears again and Ell smiled this time. She remained quiet as everyone else gasped in shock.

_ I wanted to carry you just a little bit further … I’m sorry. I wanted to go on more adventures with you … _

Ell noted in the back of her mind that the Galley-La people also heard Merry’s voice by their surprised shouts, but she pushed that thought away and solely concentrated on what Merry had to say.

_ But I … _

Luffy interrupted her as he cried out for her.

**“WE’RE THE ONES WHO NEED TO APOLOGIZE, MERRY!!! I’M NOT GOOD AT NAVIGATING AND I CRASHED YOU ONTO AN ICEBERG!! I EVEN RIPPED THE SAIL SOMETIMES!! ZORO AND SANJI AEW IDIOTS, SO THEY BROKE MANY THINGS TOO! USOPP ALWAYS TRIED TO FIX YOU EVERY TIME, BUT HE’S NOT GOOD AT IT!! WE’RE SORRY!!”**

Ell smiled as she heard Usopp cry, knowing that he was suffering a lot too. She noticed that Zoro was looking at him, his head still facing in Merry’s direction. She pointedly rammed her elbow in his stomach, making him wince and glare at her. She shook her head and pointed at Merry, tears still flowing on her cheeks.

Zoro grumbled under his breath, but looked forward nonetheless, leaving Usopp to cry in peace.

_ But I was happy. _

Cries filled the air as the crew listened to Merry’s goodbye.

_ Thank you for taking good care of me until now. I was delighted. _

Slowly, Merry disappeared in the ocean, leaving behind the weeping crew. Even though Ell noticed that some of the crewmembers were not crying, she knew that they were all going to miss her. She slowly looked up at the sky and smiled as she saw the sun peek out from behind the thick masses of clouds.

She ignored the tears that were falling from her cheeks and smiled, whistling a soft tune of her homeland. She remembered Gabriel singing it to her when she felt sad and needed some comfort. As she saw the faces of her crewmembers, she knew that it was precisely what they needed.

 _Rest in Peace, Merry, our dear Nakama._ , Ell thought mournfully as she watched the last bit of Merry disappear in the ocean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> This chapter is slightly longer than the rest because I wanted to finish Enies Lobby in one Chapter and not two smaller ones. 
> 
> This length of chapters will rarely ever happen again unless it's the end of an arc and I want everything in one chapter.
> 
> So yeah, I hope you enjoyed the new chapter and see you next time!


	16. Grandpa Monkey is scary ... to some extent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys!
> 
> I made some minor changes in the story, mainly at the beginning, where I wasn't happy with how much information Ell had given about everyone in the crew. I changed slightly what she told them because, honestly, there were things that even she shouldn't be able to find out.
> 
> so yeah, that's what I wanted to tell you guys.
> 
> Thank you for reading my story! See you next time.

Two days passed quickly as everyone on Water 7 started to repair their houses and their whole island, the Straw Hats being seen as heroes by many including the Galley-La. While Nami was particularly bummed by the fact that they had no ship, Ell relished in the fact that their adventure came to a momentary halt.

It was not that she hated being part of the Straw Hats, but she had a very prominent feeling that starting soon, their adventure will not have a pause like this one anymore. With that realization in mind, Ell had made sure that she was left alone to enjoy the sound of the melodious rhythm that was now filling the island.

She was standing on the very top of the island, her hair up in a ponytail, a satisfied expression on her face. She loved the feeling of the wind blowing in her face and the subtle scent of the ocean it carried with it.

Feeling like she had enough of her time alone – _she never thought that she would ever have to admit that she missed the craziness around the Straw Hats_ – she jumped off her place. A happy squeal left her lips as she flew through the air, hearing several people snicker at her joy.

She had done this exact same stunt several times before and had scared the inhabitants quite severely, but all for the greater good. They were now used to her jumping from high places and ran or walk on a wooden bridge that she had created.

As she finally arrived at the Galley-La’s momentary Headquarters where they were staying, she jumped down her bridge and landed beside Robin, who smiled at the younger woman. Ell nodded in her direction and the three of them, since Chopper was there as well, entered the room, Chopper as cheerful as ever.

After Nami showed them that they had gotten back all of their belongings and Franky had barged in, Ell was entertaining herself by using Luffy as a puppet. However, before she could do anything radical with her sleeping Captain, Franky sat down abruptly, making her jump from her place.

She glared at the man but remained silent when he started talking.

**“On an island with a never-ending war …”**

Ell tensed as Franky started telling a story and before anyone could comment, she had grabbed her notebook from the new bag she had purchased on Water 7 and started scribbling down what Franky was telling them.

She glared in Sanji’s direction when he tried to interrupt Franky, making the cook swoon at the cold attitude she was giving him, but she ignored him. She motioned for Franky to continue because she was interested in seeing where this was going.

**“There was a huge tree that never fell, even if people started a war with Rains of Bullets or if everyone died and left the island in ruins. People still went back to the tree and used it to rebuild towns and nations.”**

Franky stopped abruptly when he heard something soft land on the floor. As he looked past Sanji, he saw that Ell was looking at him with wide eyes, full of fear and realization. As he looked at her feet, he saw that her notebook had landed on the floor, and was open for everyone to see what was written on it.

Ell couldn’t believe it; she knew exactly what he was talking about. A horrible gut feeling appeared, and she suddenly disappeared from where she had been standing and was now standing before Franky, her eyes still wide.

**“You’re talking about the _Treasure Tree ‘Adam’_ , right? Franky, tell me you are!”**

Everyone heard the desperate tone the blue-haired woman was using, but she could care less. She had to know if he was talking about it. She simply had to.

Franky simply nodded, shocked to see the normally more composed woman so desperate for that bit of information.

**“Yes, I’m talking about that tree. What’s it to you?”**

Ell couldn’t take it anymore. She fell onto her knees before Franky, who was looking at her with round eyes, while Chopper hurried to her side, looking for something wrong. Silence filled the room as they watched Ell pat the reindeer’s head and walk back to her pervious place, her face shadowed by her hair.

Everyone was wondering what was going on, but Ell simply motioned for Franky to continue his story while she gathered her things and sat down beside her Captain. A nostalgic expression appeared on her face as her eyes glossed over showing that she was not part of the present anymore.

While Franky explained what he did with the 200 Million berries that he had stolen from them, Ell left the present to go back to the past.

–

_Ell was humming along with the melody the forest was giving off as she stumbled over a branch. A small squeak left her lips as she landed on her face, but she quickly dusted her little body off and continued to walk._

_After ten minutes, she finally reached the clearing where she was staying with Gabriel, the familiar melody filling the air._

_When she finally stood before the door, instead of barging in like she usually did, she put her hand on the wooden exterior of the cabin, enjoying the feeling of the durable wood it was made of. She always wondered why it had been so different than the others, why its melody sounded so alive and full of more complicated feelings._

_It was so different than the other trees or wooden materials, whose melody could merely give her a warning of danger or reciprocate the feelings of their surroundings. This wood felt more … human than the rest, it felt as if it was something with a conscience._

_Shaking her head, she tried to move its shape, but much like always, it was impossible. It refused to move along her will, and 9-year-old Ell huffed in exasperation at that. She hated it when things didn’t go her way and even more when wood or timber refused to follow her orders._

**_“What got you so riled up, brat?”_ **

_Ell’s head tilted to the side, seeing Gabriel appear from the forest. His huge black wings were neatly tucked on his back, and she had the sudden urge to pet his wings. Shaking her head at her childish impulse, she turned towards him, her facial expression portraying her annoyance._

**_“I tried to control the cabin’s wood, and unlike the trees in the forest, it will not listen to my orders! And it has this strange, yet human melody! So different than the one the trees are giving off! I hate that! I want to know what it is!”_ **

_-_

Ell smiled as she remembered that Gabriel had chuckled at her outburst and calmly explained to her that it was normal that she could not control it easily. It was made of that legendary material that so many people were after, and he had told her that in due time, the wood would follow her command.

 **_“Think of it as your friend more than material, brat. It very much feels, like us. Prove it that you are worthy following.”_ ** _He had explained to her, a kind smile on his lips, his fatigue clearly showing._

Ell hadn’t questioned him anymore and had followed his advice. Ell was so lost in her memories that she hadn’t noticed the worried looks Robin or Chopper had been sending her way.

**“MY DREAM IS TO MAKE A ‘DREAM SHIP’ WITH THE TREASURE TREE THAT CAN CROSS ANY SEA! NOW THAT I HAVE THE PARTS FROM THE TREASURE TREE AND THE BLUEPRINTS FOR THE SHIP READY, I WILL BUILD THIS SHIP RIGHT NOW!”**

Ell snapped out of her thoughts as she heard Franky shout and she glanced in her Captain’s direction, wondering how he was able to sleep through all this ruckus. She quickly shook that thought away, knowing that if he was bake to eat while sleeping, he would be able to do way more.

Ell grumbled in Franky’s direction and put her notebook back in her bag. She quickly checked if all her belongings were still there, out of habit more than necessity, before looking towards Franky, who sat criss-cross applesauce with his fist beside his head as he bowed down.

**“Will, you guys, sail with the ship I will make?!”**

Ell tilted her head sideways as Sanji looked at Franky in disbelief. Nami had wariness dancing in her eyes, but as soon as she realized that they would get the ship for free – _not really since Franky paid with their money_ – she nodded and accepted the offer.

Ell chuckled at their excitement to get a new ship, but she felt still a little bit disoriented by the realization that she would have the honor to hear the Adam’s melody again. She looked to the side to see that Robin was still looking at her, but she gave her a half-hearted smile.

Robin simply narrowed her eyes and Ell knew that she would have to explain herself to the older woman. Sighing, she nodded and looked back towards Luffy, before standing up from where she was sitting and thus gained everyone’s attention.

**“It’s nice and all that we are talking about it, but in the end, the final decision lies in Lu –“**

Ell was interrupted by someone destroying the wall, and she gritted her teeth together at the sound of breaking wood. She glared at whoever dared to interrupt her, but paled immediately when she saw who it was.

She quickly glanced in Luffy’s direction, before looking up and seeing the dog mask that the Marine Officer was wearing. She knew that the older man noticed her pale expression and how she moved away from Luffy but decided not to comment on it.

Ell noticed that Sanji, Chopper, and Franky were standing defensively before Luffy and Robin had already crossed her arms, ready to attack. However, before anyone could react, the Marine officer disappeared from where he was standing and reappeared behind Luffy.

Ell flinched as she saw his fist land on Luffy’s head and she quickly dragged Luffy towards her as he landed on the table, destroying it in the process. A guarded expression appeared on her face as she heard Sanji start yelling at Luffy.

Ell immediately stopped him and glared at the source of their momentary problems.

**“His fist hurts, Sanji.”**

Ell didn’t explain more what she meant, and she saw the old man tense at her scrutinizing eyes. He swiftly lifted his dog mask, showing an elderly man beneath it with a scar going from his forehead over his left eyebrow and ending under his left eye.

**“G-Grandpa?”**

**“Monkey D. Garp.”**

Ell muttered at the same time that Luffy yelled out his surprise, and she knew that the crew was shocked to bits by the information. Ell growled under her breath at the elder but remained crouched beside Luffy, not wanting Garp to get anywhere near him.

She internally snorted at that thought, knowing that with her injuries she wouldn't be able to do much damage on the older man. And even without them, he was, for now, too strong for her. She ignored the crew that questioned Luffy if it was true.

This time, Ell snorted openly, making most of the crew glare in her direction. She rolled her eyes as she slowly straightened herself and let her eyes remain on Garp’s unmoving figure.

**“Their last name should be a dead giveaway to the fact that they are related.”**

_Much like with Dragon_ , Ell thought as she moved back slightly. She noticed that Garp’s eyes remained on her longer than she would have liked before he shifted his attention to his grandson.

**“In the past, Grandpa has nearly killed me on numerous occasions.”**

Ell watched with narrowed eyes as Garp snorted at that, telling him not to make it sound so scandalous and Ell couldn’t refrain herself from sweatdropping at the elderly man. _Trying to kill your grandson IS scandalous, old man._ , Ell thought, but refrained from uttering her opinion.

Although she could as well have stated it out loud, by the look Garp was giving her, he seemed to know exactly what she was thinking. She simply shrugged but remained impassive.

**“I pushed you over bottomless cliffs, threw you into the jungle at night, tied you on a balloon and sent you flying in the sky. ALL THAT WAS DONE SO THAT YOU COULD BECOME A STRONGER MAN!!”**

Ell bit on her lip, trying to not laugh at what Luffy had to endure in his childhood, but when Sanji commented on Garp’s speech, she couldn’t stop the quiet laugh that bubbled out of her throat. She noticed the fond expression the old man was now sporting and took a step back as she saw him take a step forward.

**“I TRAINED YOU TO BE A STRONG MARINE!!”**

Ell jumped at the sudden yell, cringing when Luffy responded with as much power.

**“I ALWAYS SAID I WANTED TO BECOME A PIRATE!!”**

Ell chuckled and quickly understood what this debate was for. Luffy wanted to be a pirate, but with his grandpa being a hero of the marine, the old man wanted his grandson to serve the Marine as well, unlike his son.

An amused chuckle left her lips as she traveled towards Robin, who was watching everything happen with a serious expression. As the younger woman put one of her hand on Robin’s shoulder, the older woman relaxed slightly and nodded gratefully.

Ell simply smiled at her and let go of Robin’s shoulder to look back towards the fight between the grandson and the grandfather.

**“NONSENSE! YOU’RE JUST UNDER THE BAD INFLUENCE OF THAT RED HAIR!!”**

Ell knew immediately that Garp was talking about Red Hair Shanks, one of the rare pirates she looked up to. Her eyes landed on his hat, and she began to realize that it was Shanks hat, before it was his. And Gol D. Roger’s hat before Shanks’.

 _I wonder what fate has in store for Luffy. Shanks must have seen something in the younger version of Luffy to have given him the hat of his former captain._ , Ell mused silently and waited to see how the fight would end up.

**“SH-SHANKS SAVED MY LIFE!!! DON’T SPEAK ILL OF HIM!!”**

Ell tilted her head sideways at that and momentarily wondered what her Captain meant by that, the thought flew to the back of her mind, the moment she saw Garp garb Luffy’s shirt.

**“ARE YOU TELLING YOUR OWN GRANDFATHER WHAT TO DO?!”**

Her daggers were out, and she was ready to spring to action as she saw Luffy simply apologize to his grandfather not even trying to fight him. She heard Nami and Chopper yell out his name and saw that Sanji and Robin were both ready to jump in when they both suddenly fell asleep.

A sweatdrop appeared on Ell’s face as a disbelieving chuckle left her lips. She straightened her position and sheathed back her daggers, feeling that Garp had no true intention to hurt his grandson too much.

 _The too much is actually worrying_ , she thought but watched as Garp woke up and hit Luffy on the head several times. She rolled her eyes when Garp yelled at Luffy to not fall asleep on him and chuckled when she heard her Captain whine his dismay.

After a good beating and the whole crew remaining frozen where they were, Luffy and Garp were facing each other, while sitting on the ground.

**“Listen, do you even know who Shanks is?”**

Ell and Robin were the only ones who nodded at the question, and Ell smirked when Garp shoot her a disbelieving look. She simply shook her head and motioned for him to continue, making the Marine glare at her insolence.

**“There are numerous pirates out there. However, he is now one of the most powerful pirates alongside Whitebeard. We call those pirates, who reign like emperors over the latter half of the Grand Line, Yonkos.”**

Ell noticed Sanji looking in her direction for confirmation, and she nodded, showing him that Garp was telling them the truth. She threw a curious glance in her Captain’s direction and laughed quietly at his confused expression.

**“The Marine-Headquarters and the Shichibukai exist to counterbalance those four. Their power is so influential that the peace of the world would crumble if these three powers became unbalanced.”**

Ell nodded at Garp’s explanation.

**“And if two of those decided to wage war against one another, millions and millions of people would die, and the whole world would be thrown into chaos.”**

Ell added, making Garp look at her with apprehension. Ell simply glared back at the older man, and it seemed like he finally realized who she was because he chuckled and shook his head.

**“Luffy, you really have a tendency to choose the worst comrades there is.”**

Luffy tilted his head to the side and glared in his grandfather’s direction, faltering ever so slightly when Garp glared back.

**“I don’t care. They are my Nakamas.”**

Ell shook her head at him and waited for Garp to continue when she heard Robin question Nami about Luffy’s relationship with Shanks. She shook her head at that, disappointed in herself that she hadn’t found out that bit of Luffy’s past sooner.

However, before the older man could say anything, the commotion on the side of the Marine reached gained everyone’s attention. Ell laughed quietly as she felt Zoro make his way towards them, but shook her head as she took out her daggers. However, before she could do anything, Garp had ordered two of his men to try and stop him.

She was about to jump in to stop one, but Luffy was faster than her, and he had stepped into the fight. A pink-haired boy kicked her Captain and Ell glared at the boy, her fists tightening around her daggers.

**“Ell, calm down, Luffy has everything under control.”**

Ell glared at Robin, but the older woman remained unfazed and simply stared back. She shrugged her shoulders as if trying to get the weight off of it and sheathed her daggers back.

Her eyes remained trained on the tow Marine Officers that were now on the floor, the pink-haired boy beneath Luffy’s fist, while the blonde was caged by Zoro’s katanas.

She heard Garp laugh at the fact that his Chief Petty Officer and Petty Officer were no match to Luffy and his first mate, which made the woman frown in confusion. Shaking her head at the similarity between Garp and Luffy, Ell marched forward and stood behind her captain and first mate, glaring threateningly in the Marine’s direction.

As they squeaked in fear, she released a satisfied huff and waited for the scene to unfold. She made sure to glare in the two Marine Officers direction, but it froze in place when the pink-haired boy started to speak.

**“You are strong, after all. Amazing, I give up.”**

The way he was speaking was showing familiarity towards Luffy, and that made the 20-year-old woman tilt her head in obvious confusion. She noticed that Luffy was sporting the same expression as he stood up and dusted himself off.

**“Luffy-san, Zoro-san, long time no see. Do you know who I am?”**

Ell rolled her eyes at the question, the answer obvious. If Luffy had noticed who he was, he wouldn’t have been so serious when he fought back. It wouldn’t have been such a serious fight.

**“It’s me! Coby. Don’t you remember me?”**

It’s as if a lightbulb had been switched on as Luffy realized that an old friend was standing before him. Ell’s glare came back full-force or at least that’s what she wanted to believe, but she knew that it was less threatening than before.

Still threatening enough that she noticed Coby and the other man tremble slightly under it. After Luffy warningly looked in her direction, she closed her eyes, and as she opened them again, a neutral expression crossed her face.

She turned her back to the Marines and walked towards the rest of the crew, who was watching everything unfold with a surprised expression.

**“I seriously wonder when we will have a time where peace is not just a wishful dream.”**

At Nami’s comment, Ell couldn’t stop herself, and she let out a hearty laugh, patting the navigator on the back and shaking her head.

**“As you said, it’s only a dream.”**

A disheartened groan was her answer.


	17. The Top is always watching

After Zoro and Luffy recognized the taller blonde boy as being Helmeppo, a boy who they had to fight apparently, Garp ordered his men to fix the wall that he had destroyed. Ell watched with growing amusement as everyone complained about the fact that they always had to fix what he broke.

Part of their conversation flew over her head as she turned around and sat down on one of the remaining chairs in a criss-cross applesauce position. She noticed that Franky was shooting her some disapproving looks, but she leveled his look with one of her own.

However, her attention moved from him towards Garp as she heard him ask Luffy if he had met his father already. Ell tensed at that, knowing exactly who he was talking about.

**“Eh? Dad? You mean I have a dad?”**

Ell rolled her eyes at that, knowing that Luffy was who he was and not always the sharpest tool in the shelf. She heard everyone start to murmur about Luffy’s father and Ell looked out of the window, noticing a dark figure by it.

As she narrowed her eyes at it, she heard a familiar squeak, but she remained silent at his presence. Garp was building up the tension for telling the crew who Luffy’s father was.

 _He has quite the knack for making dramatic revelations._ , Ell mused as she shifted her position to face the music. Garp was still hammering on the piece of wood he was fixing to the wall when he dropped the literal bomb.

**“Your father’s name is Monkey D. Dragon, the Revolutionary.”**

Silence followed his statement and Ell’s eyes quickly snapped up towards the flock of Marines that were now staring at Garp with utter disbelief and shock. Fear was also present in their expression and Ell knew exactly why.

Dragon, The Revolutionary, was the most researched man on the planet because he was at the head of a very well-known Revolutionary Army that had only one goal. The utter destruction of the World Government.

 _Well, aren’t our goals similar in one sense …_ , Ell wondered as she tilted her head back, watching with amusement as her crewmates started to freak out as well. Seems like even they have heard about him. Which made her wonder why they were so scared of him.

Luffy quickly turned towards Robin, asking for an explanation. Robin glanced in Ell’s direction, and she nodded, standing up to assist Robin in her explanation. As the blue-haired woman stood beside the older woman, Robin started explaining.

**“How should I explain this? Pirates … don’t usually initiate attacks on Government or Marines.”**

Robin stopped, watching Luffy intently, to see if their Captain was following. Ell jumped in at that moment.

**“There is, however, an army that does exactly that. Their goal is to overthrow the ‘World Government’. They call themselves ‘The Revolutionary Army’ and your father, Luffy, stands at the very top of that organization.”**

Ell watched Luffy intently as Robin continued where she stopped. Everyone was quiet as they listened to Robin and Ell explaining to Luffy why the majority of the people present were so shocked and scared to hear his name.

**“Propaganda is spread throughout the world, provoking revolutions in many kingdoms and causing the downfall of many countries. Of course, the government got angry. They labeled Dragon, the one pulling all the strings, as the ‘Worst Criminal in the World’ and they have been looking for him ever since.”**

Luffy nodded at her explanation, and the two women remained quiet as they let Luffy register what they just told him. Ell continued their explanation as she noticed that he was nodding along.

**“The problem, Luffy, is that Dragon is a very mysterious man and nobody knew of his identity, but now …”**

Ell trailed off, sneaking a glance in Garp’s direction, noticing that his face was void of any emotions. As he looked around, his hand suddenly flew to his head, and he looked shocked, and a lot like a deer caught in the highlights.

**“ACK! Maybe I shouldn’t have said that.”**

A nervous, but every much honest laugh escaped his laugh, and he went back to hammering some nails into the wood as if all of this hadn’t just happened.

**“Forget what I just said.”**

This seemed to be the last straw because everyone, except for Robin, Luffy and Ell, shrieked their non-belief. Ell shook her head as she recognized his nonchalance to be the same as Luffy’s when something shocking happens, and he doesn’t care.

**“Like grandson like grandfather, am I right?”**

Ell chuckled at the glares that were leveled her way at her comment, but she simply grinned back, showing them that she wasn’t bothered one bit by their anger.

**-**

Ell waved the child away as she smiled at the atmosphere. She had left the place before Garp and his Marine, not wanting to remain in his presence any longer than necessary. She hadn’t told the crew, most importantly, Luffy that she had already met Garp before.

It was just the day after they had taken away what was most important to her, as she was grieving his loss, that the older man appeared behind her. His aura was a dead give-away of who he was, and even if she should have been scared of him, she wasn’t, as odd as that may sound.

At that time, she had beamed the fact that she was still mourning, traumatized by what had previously happened between Gabriel and the Marines. She couldn’t find it in herself to care about having lost that one person that had been beside her when she had lost everything, from her island to her people, to the knowledge that had been hidden there.

As lost as she was in her memory, she didn’t notice how her left hand slowly moved up to trace the small scar on her jaw, a nostalgic look appearing on the woman’s face. Her normally bright steely eyes grew dull as an image flashed in her mind.

As soon as that image popped up, a squeal snapped her out of her daze, and she quickly scanned her surroundings, trying to pinpoint where she had walked. A tired sigh left her lips as she noticed that she had walked all the way back to the Galley-La’s Headquarters, her crew’s joyous cries filling the atmosphere.

Shaking her head, she took a deep breath and entered the house, nodding in Robin’s directions, as she was the first one to notice her arrival. Sanji was the next one that noticed Ell’s appearance, and he quickly gathered up some meat on a plate and swirled his way towards her.

As he stood before her, he presented the delicious Mizu-Mizu to her, his eyes taking the shape of hearts.

**“Ell-chwan! Here is some meat for a beautiful lady like you!”**

An appreciative laugh escaped her lips, and she smiled kindly in his direction, taking the plate in her hands.

**“Thank you, Sanji. I thought I would have to fight Luffy to get a piece of that delicious meat.”**

Sanji swooned at that and quickly went back to the BBQ, slapping Luffy’s hand away as he tried to get some additional meat. Ell chuckled at that and sat down beside Robin, who had a curious, yet satisfied expression on her face.

Ell turned her head to the entrance as she heard someone barge in and let a small grin appear on her lips as she noticed that the Franky Family was joining them. Soon after, the Galley-La and the Giants joined them as well.

She noticed that Sanji was already moving fast and preparing everything for, what all of them knew, was coming. It was only when everything was ready that Luffy finally declared what everyone wanted to hear.

**“IT’S A FEAST!!”**

Loud laughs and booming chatter filled the atmosphere for the whole afternoon, people eating, playing and singing together as they enjoyed the cozy and joyful feast.

Ell laughed as she saw Luffy put two sticks in his nostrils and the other ends in his mouth and clapped her hands together as Sanji gave her a bottle of beer. She laughed as Nami growled at Usopp, who was still disguised as Sogeking, as he tried to get her drink and Chopper was patting his shoulder as he walked away depressively.

Ell’s attention abruptly snapped to the side as she saw Robin tense up at something. She narrowed her eyes at that and stood up slowly, her facial expression not changing. She made sure that it seemed like she was simply leaving to get some more meat as she approached Robin’s current position.

There was no way that she was going to let Robin deal with whatever she was currently dealing with alone. However, as she neared Robin, the dark-haired woman’s eyes snapped up and made contact with her steely ones.

Ell froze on her spot at her expression, fear, and determination battling in it, but as Ell saw Robin shake her head, she sighed and nodded. Seems like she had to take back her words and leave Robin to deal with it. Alone.

A chill suddenly went down her spine, and Ell’s attention snapped back towards the top of Water 7, where she noticed a cloaked figure standing. Ell’s eyes grew suspicious as she saw that figure motion her to it, and she knew exactly who that was without even having to see their face.

A heavy sigh left her lips, and she looked back towards Robin, who was now looking very relieved. She noticed that the older woman was standing on the stairs now and was sweating profusely, but she hardened her features and left the party.

Nobody noticed her as she slipped away from the Galley-La’s HQ, and she was grateful for that, but it didn’t change how she was feeling. This meeting was something she had been dreading and had ignored to the best of her abilities, but now … now she had to face the music if she wanted to remain with her crew.

Another sigh escaped her as she walked through the empty city and she noticed that Aokiji was not that far from her. As she reached a certain point, she stilled as she came face to face with the icy man, her instincts screaming at her to flee.

She ignored her instincts, however, and let her features harden even more under the Admiral’s scrutinizing gaze. She nodded in his direction before she jumped onto a house’s roof, ignoring the feeling of being watched by the Admiral.

**“Who would have thought that you were still fighting, Ell ManderVill?”**

Ell stilled as those words left the Admiral’s lips and her head robotically moved to look him in the eyes. She tilted her head to the side slightly, her eyes growing dull under the force of her anger and her fear.

**“Who would have thought that I would find something worth fighting for, Admiral Aokiji?”**

Ell quickly left the Admiral and sprung towards the highest point in the city where the cloaked figure was sitting. As she arrived just below the waterfall, she stilled and waited for the figure to start talking.

Minutes passed as she watched the figure take in their surroundings and she fought the urge to attack them. She knew for a fact that if a fight was to break out, that the figure would win against her easily. It was when she looked away from the cloaked figure that they started to speak.

**“So you finally decided to betray us, my dear?”**

Ell tensed as their voice filled the whole area surrounding them and she knew that they were using their power once again. An irritated, yet fearful sigh left her lips as she turned her attention back to them.

**“Like I told Agent D, my loyalties never laid in the organization’s hands, puppet.”**

An eerie chuckle left the figure's lips as they jumped down from where they had previously been sitting, but Ell remained still. She knew that they were testing her and her resolve. As they stood before her, they towered over her smaller figure, and she had to grit her teeth together to stop herself from bowing down.

She glared at them, her eyes never leaving their shadowed face. Even though it wasn’t really shadows that covered their non-existent face. It was more than they had no face, to begin with, as this was simply one of their clones.

**“Is that so, my dear?”**

Their voice brought a chill own Ell’s spine, and she nodded, ironing her resolve as she knew what was coming for her. She had been a victim of their game for far too long after all.

**“Have you forgotten who took you in, when you were at your lowest?”**

_And there it was, the emotional manipulation._ , Ell thought as she glared at them, but remained silent. It had always been their way of ensuring her subordination since she was resistant to their other methods.

**“Have you forgotten that we are your family, before those weak pirates?”**

Ell didn’t look down, but she let her hair shadow her face, hiding her emotions from the figure. Another eerie chuckle left their non-existent lips as they started to circle her. She remained frozen on her spot as she let them continue their speech.

**“Have you forgotten that we were there to train you when you absolutely needed it?”**

Ell frowned at that, knowing that it was not correct. But what could she say? They loved to tweak with reality in such a way that it becomes beneficial to them.

**“Have you forgotten that we helped you hide from the Marines and from the Government when you were unable to defend yourself?”**

She bit her tongue as she wanted to lash out at that. There was no way that what they had done to her could be considered helping. Abandoning her was more like what they had done to her.

**“Have you forgotten that you are alive because of us?”**

At that, she let her head hang down; her eyes closed shut tightly. She knew that at least that statement was true. If it weren’t for them, she would have been either dead or tortured in Impel Down. No matter how someone looked at the situation, they had saved her.

**“That you are alive because we were generous enough to let you live?”**

Ell couldn’t take it anymore. She spun around and lifted her hand, creating a massive hand of wood that took the puppet in it and squeezed lightly. No words left their lips as she looked up, a fiery and determined expression lighting up all of her face.

She sneered in its direction as she let the hand stop before her.

**“Listen here, puppet and listen well ‘cause I won’t repeat myself.”**

She saw the puppet tense at her voice, and she knew that the Top finally realized that she wasn’t playing their games anymore. She smirked at that.

**“I’ve had enough of the Top trying to boss me around and emotionally manipulate me into doing their dirty work.”**

The hand tightened around the figure, making a small pained noise come out of their endless darkened face.

**“I’ve realized that I can have a family who sees me and likes me for who I am. Not a so-called family where the best gets everything, and the weak gets nothing. Now, puppet, I know that the Top is listening, even when you were speaking for them.”**

The hand halted not far away from her and Ell had her dagger already unsheathed and pressed against their throat.

**“You will never be able to control my actions anymore and if you try! Know that every little information that I know of will be sent to the Revolutionaries. To Dragon, specifically.”**

Before Ell could slice the puppet’s throat, another eerie chuckle left it, this time darker and filled with more malice. Ell stilled and observed it, her eyes narrowed.

**“That’s nice, my dear, how you seem to have everything planned. But how about your dear friends, the Informants?”**

Ell froze at the mention of her own organization, and she glared at it, before replying.

**“Touch them, and I will make sure that you will never be able to know what peace is.”**

With that, Ell sliced the puppet’s throat, making it disappear in a small dark cloud. Ell sighed in relief at that and slumped on the floor. She knew that her actions were not going to pass by unpunished, but she had to do it.

If she hadn’t, they would have tried to use her to gain leverage against Luffy and his crew. Something she couldn’t allow to happen. Ell slowly stood up and jumped down from her spot and leisurely walked towards the feast that was still going on.

 _At least they still have fun._ ; Ell mused as she sat down beside Nami, chuckling half-heartedly at her anger. As she silently watched the feast continue, she caught herself praying for this sort of peace to remain in their crew.

And she sincerely hoped, deep in her heart, that Luffy, Nami, Chopper, Usopp, Sanji, Zoro or Robin, would never lose that glint in their eyes that showed their happiness, even if they are scowling. Shaking her head at that thought, she quickly took a bottle of sake and drank it up, smiling as people started to chant and sing.


	18. Changes are needed to be made

**“How did that happen? The Franky Family wreaked havoc over there.”**

Ell shrugged at Sanji’s question, wondering the same thing. It was not usual for the World Government to hide the fact that a gang had participated in destroying an island under their direct jurisdiction.

She took one of the donuts that were on the table and started munching on it, with her knees up to her chest. A curious expression was on her face as she listened to everyone wonder how it was possible for the Franky Family not to have been mentioned.

She noticed that Robin’s facial expression remained the same, but she shrugged at that, contently munching on her donut. She noticed that Luffy was glaring at her, specifically at her hands, but she simply glared back, taking a huge bite out of the donut.

Luffy huffed and took another one and Ell moved her attention towards Zoro who was sitting on the floor with a satisfied expression. Ell rolled her eyes at his smirk, knowing why he wore it in the first place.

Ell shook her head at her friends as they wondered whether or not their bounty has been raised or if they got a bounty in the first place.

Nami glared at them for being happy at getting a bounty, but her face lit up as she thought about getting some furniture for their new ship.

**“What happened to the 100 million berries?!”**

Ell winced at Nami’s voice, quickly backing off, knowing how much that woman loved her money. She glared at Luffy as he was the only one who answered, while the rest of the crew smartly walked away from the orange-haired navigator.

**“Ah! We gave it to them to buy us some meat and booze for the feast!”**

Luffy seemed very proud when he informed Nami of what he had done with her money and Ell hid her smile behind her smile. She had still a little bit of money in her backpack, but she needed it for a new coat.

**“GAVE IT?! IT WAS OUR MONEY!!”**

Nami was obviously very angry about that, but Ell, as well as the rest of the crew, knew that they were the ones who organized the feast in the first place.

**“It was our feast.”**

Ell quickly left the Headquarter and decided that she would visit her dear friend, Two. _It has been a long time since I last saw him._ , she mused as she took a Yagara and let it wander around. She quickly took out her small den-den mushi and ordered it to call him.

**“One-sama, what can I do for you today?”**

Ell chuckled at the formal question and smiled as she saw the snail grin.

**“I would like to meet you today, Two-san. I need to talk about something important.”**

Ell lost her smile as she remembered what had happened at the blanket and she gritted her teeth together. Two was one of the only ones who were aware of who she was in their small circle of informants.

Every informant liked to have their identity to remain a secret, another reason why they had codenames. On top of that, she knew that if some of her fellow informants knew who she was, that they would not hesitate to betray her and her circle.

Only Two and Ten knew who she was and what she was doing.

**“Meet me at my house, One-sama.”**

Ell smiled apologetically at the snail, knowing that Two was not very excited to leave the house.

**“I’m sorry to put even more stress on your shoulders with the baby coming and all, Two-san, but I know for a fact that what I have to tell you will not only change our plan but your security as well.”**

Silence answered her and Ell knew that he was contemplating what to do if their security were to be endangered. Before Two could answer, Ell quickly spoke up again.

**“If it comes down to it, I could play with some sources and get you to meet Dragon. You could ask Ten for help as well. I’m sure he will be happy to help you.”**

Ell sighed and searched through her brain, trying to come up with a solution good enough that Two and his pregnant wife could survive.

**“We’ll talk about it when you arrive, One-sama. Please be safe.”**

Two left no space for Ell to answer as he hung up after wishing her safe travel. A heavy sigh left her mouth as she motioned for the Yagara to go to the far end of the island, where she knew Two was.

–

**“One-sama, it is nice to see you again, even if I would have preferred for you to come by for different reasons.”**

Ell smiled at Mimy, letting out a small laugh at the pregnant woman. She quickly enveloped the smaller woman in a hug, tightening her grip ever so slightly to show her that she was there.

**“I’m sorry, Mimy-chan, I would have preferred to come by with other reasons too, but … “**

Ell trailed off at the end, looking to the side, guilt evident in her features. Her shoulders were slumped and her normally shiny grey eyes were now dulled with sadness and guilt. Mimy shook her head and dragged the woman inside, closing the door behind them.

**“Don’t worry, One-sama. We understand more than anything else. We know that you would never put us in danger if you had a choice.”**

Ell slowly lifted her head and took in Mimy’s appearance. She was a small woman, with curves where it was needed. Her pregnant belly showed that she was nearing the end of her pregnancy, while her red hair was up in a ponytail.

She had sparkling green eyes, and Ell knew that it had something to do with her husband. Ell carefully took her wrist out of her grip and let the pregnant lady waltz towards the kitchen while she made her way towards Two’s room.

After knocking on the wooden door three times, she let herself in, smiling as she saw Two sitting on his desk, papers scattered all around him. A small chuckle escaped her lips as she sat down in front of him, a little appreciative smile on her lips.

**“I see that you haven’t changed much since the last time I saw you, Two-san.”**

Two’s head simply moved up, and she made eye contact with him before he looked down again. Ell sighed and leaned backward, tilting her head backward, looking at the ceiling. Silence surrounded them, Two looking up once in a while to look at the younger woman before him.

As he moved his head back down to look at his plan, Ell took that moment to talk.

**“The Top send their puppet to meet me.”**

Ell heard Two’s pen fall onto his table and as she moved her head back to a straight position, she saw Two looking at her with wide and fearful eyes.

**“The … Top? How is it possible that you are still here?!”**

Ell heard the panic in his voice, and she knew that he would be angry with her for how she handled things. She glanced at the door momentarily, before she looked back towards Two.

He was looking at her expectantly, eager to have his answers, even if she knew that they will not please him.

**“I told the Top to leave me alone.”**

Two scoffed at that, his eyes telling her that he knew that there was more.

**“One-sama … Spill.”**

And so she told him everything. From the time where she noticed the puppet at the very top of Water 7 to the moment that she threatened them with exposure to the fact that the Top is aware of the existence of her small organization.

**“Holy shit, One-sama … you just made yourself to be an even bigger target than before. You know that they can influence your bounty and make it so that you will be killed by Hunters or even worse … Red-hair Pirates or the Whitebeards.”**

Ell chuckled at that, and she looked out of the small window at her left. She saw a mother walk down the street with her daughter laughing, ice cream in her small hands. She felt a pang of jealousy at the sight of the small family, so she quickly looked away and back towards Two.

**“I know what I did, Two-san, but the Top was going to try and use Luffy and the rest to their advantage. I couldn’t allow that. If I hadn’t explicitly told them that I would reveal all the information I have on them and their organization to the world, they would have threatened them. What worries me more, though, was that they know about all of you. And that means that I have to warn everyone to be careful.”**

Ell watched Two sigh, and she knew that he knew that she was right.

**“Still … I would not be surprised to see your bounty climb a lot next time that they publish it.”**

This time, Ell smiled brightly and showed him a peace sign.

**“I’m excited to see how much. Last time I checked, it was 105’000’000 berries. Quite high for a bounty to begin with.”**

Two shook his head at his superior. He glanced outside momentarily, before looking back towards Ell to see her looking at him intently.

Two raised an eyebrow at the woman and Ell simply grinned.

**“I need to warn Ten, amongst others. Take out your big den-den mushi with the white snail.”**

Two rolled his eyes at the order but did as he was told either way. As he came back, he slammed the den-den mushi onto the table with the white one already connected to it.

**“Here you go, One-sama.”**

Ell thanked Two and quickly typed in Ten’s number waiting for the man to answer her call. While the snail rung, to show that it was contacting Ten, she looked back out and smiled as she noticed Robin and Nami walking from shop to shop.

She quickly took out her mini den-den mushi and bound it to her wrist, while waiting for the call to be answered finally. Two sat back down before her and continued working on his plans, listening to the ringing of the snail.

After long minutes, the call was finally received, and a grave voice answered the call.

**“Two?”**

Ell smiled at the voice and pushed herself off the back of the chair, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees.

**“Nope, guess again, Ten.”**

The snail’s expression suddenly moved into a shocked one, making Ell chuckle.

**“ONE?! Is that really you? What are you doing in Water 7?”**

Ell nodded, a big smile on her face. Two shook his head at his fellow informant, putting his pen down and looking in Ell’s direction.

Ell made eye-contact with Two, and she knew that she had to warn Ten now, not later in the discussion. She turned her attention back to the snail, where she saw that Ten had already started to open his mouth to say something.

**“Listen, Ten, it’s important.”**

The snail’s expression immediately darkened, and Ell knew that he realized that she had not just called to talk with him again. Ell smiled sadly, hoping that Ten could see it on his snail as she explained to him what had happened not too long ago.

**“Ten, the Top is after me now. I threatened them with exposure, which they didn’t take well. They know about all of you, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they come after you. The thing is, I think that they know of you, but not your identity.”**

Ell watched emotionlessly as the snail’s expression morphed into a disbelieving one, its eyes wide with fear and apprehension.

**“Are you serious, One?”**

**“Yes.”**

A sigh resounded from the snail, and she knew that he was growing more stressed by the minute. As the silence started to stretch out, Two decided to break it.

**“Ten-san, you are one of the few in our small organization which does not have to worry about what could happen to them. You are already part of the Revolutionaries, meaning that you have their protection.”**

Ell nodded at what Two told Ten and put in her own thoughts.

**“It will be very likely that several of our organization will either leave it as they realize that they are in danger or they will openly join the Revolutionaries. Let’s hope that they have enough guts to make the right decision.”**

Ten sighed loudly and asked a question; she did not expect to be asked.

**“What about Agent D?”**

Ell tensed at the mention of Draco and looked down. She had to be honest with them, she knew that, but that truth wasn’t something she liked to admit. Inhaling deeply, she responded quietly to his question.

**“I don’t know what to do with him. I know that he is not entirely loyal to the Top, but who has the other part of his loyalty is a mystery to me …”**

Two looked in Ell’s direction with wide eyes as he noticed the defeated tone her voice had taken. He knew that she did not like not to know something, but he felt as if there was something more. Ten remained silent, and Ell knew that he was mulling the new information over.

**“The thing is that he seems to be attacking me every moment he got, but at the same time he seems to be protecting me … what is his deal?”**

Ell groaned as she thought about the difficult man. Ten and Two remained silent as they let their superior mull over Agent D. A distant sound coming from Ten’s side snapped everyone out of their thoughts.

Two and Ell both heard Ten curse, and Ell shook her head at the elder man.

**“Ten, it was nice to talk to you again. I count on you to follow the plan if anything happens to me, okay?”**

A quick okay was her answer before the call was disconnected and Ell and Two were left alone in the silence of Two’s working room. A tired sigh left Ell’s lips as she suddenly remembered that she had an incoming discussion with Robin, but she quickly dialed the rest of the Informants.

She gave them a slightly different sort of speech, telling them that there was someone who was after them now and that they had two choices: Either leave the organization entirely and be sure to remain safe or join the Revolutionaries.

She gave them two days to think things over, knowing that it was a quite abrupt and dangerous decision that she was asking them to make. She had apologized to all of them for that, and she had made sure that they understand that she was not forcing anyone to join the Revolutionaries.

The threat was simply too big to allow any other decision besides the two. The fact that Twelve, Seven and Five decided to join the Revolutionaries as fast as they could be very relieving for Ell and she made sure that they knew.

As she finished her call with Thirteen, she sighed and smiled thankfully in Two’s direction. It was very nice of him to allow her to use his den-den mushi to contact everyone. Thirteen had been the last she had needed to communicate and she knew for a fact that the woman was not going to join the Revolutionaries.

She had a family and she had to take care of them with her husband. It was in cases like hers that she made sure to stress the fact that she was not going to suddenly turn up at their doorstep to kill them because they joined her organization.

That had obviously been a worry for the older woman, but after a long conversation, Thirteen realized that Ell was only going to appear on her doorstep if she did anything to betray their trust.

**“Thank you, Two-san, I really appreciate what you have done for me. And I’m sorry that you have to change your plans for me …”**

Two shook his head and smiled at the woman brightly. Ell smiled back as she waited for Two to talk.

**“You don’t have to worry, One-sama. Mimy wanted to join the Revolutionaries for a while now. It will be safer not only for her but for the baby as well, to join them.”**

Ell nodded at that, but she saw that Two knew that she wasn’t entirely worry-free. She sighed and shook her head, standing up. As she looked out of the window, she saw that the evening was approaching, meaning that she had to re-join with her crew.

As she stood at the door, Two suddenly cried out her name, making her still and look back in his direction. She saw him fly down the stairs with a wooden box in his arms, his face slightly red from the strain.

**“What is it, Two-san?”**

Two panted as he pushed the box into her arms and Ell raised an eyebrow as she accepted the box.

**“One-sama, I want to give you the den-den mushi and the white snail so that you can contact us with no problems. And don’t you dare refuse it, it’s a gift from the whole organization. Well, from what remains of it, of course.”**

Ell was ready to protest, but the look Two was shooting her way made her change her mind. She nodded gratefully and accepted the gift, a small smile on her lips.

**“Thank you, Two-san. You don’t know how happy that makes me.”**

Two simply waved her away and Ell hurried to get back to her crewmates, smiling brightly when she heard the shouting coming from inside the Headquarters. She stilled however as a very familiar melody started to fill the air.

Ell looked towards the junkyard and her bright smile transforming into a smaller one. At this rate, she knew that Franky and the rest of the workers would be done with the ship in the near future and the wood’s melody would be smoother than it is now.

 _I’m excited to see what the future has in store for us._ ; Ell thought as she entered the Headquarters, laughing as Luffy shouted her name excitedly and as Sanji offered her some food while complimenting her.

 _Oh, well. Let’s enjoy the moment for now._ ; she thought as she accepted the food with a smile and listened to Nami telling her about the clothes that she had found. Which reminded her that she still needed to get her own cloak and a more diverse clothing collection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys!
> 
> I hope you enjoy my fanfiction and I just thought about something: if any of you are interested in understanding the different aspect of One Piece better, I recommend checking out Tekking101's channel. He mainly talks about different animes and mangas, explaining different aspects of it and coming up with really interesting theories. 
> 
> So yeah, that was all I wanted to tell you. Thank you for checking in and see ya next chapter!
> 
> Bye!


	19. Relocation, Florian Triangle and Bounties

Three days passed slowly with the crew as they all did what they wanted while Franky was building their ship. Ell had taken that time to go shopping on her own with a little bit of money she had gained by doing some odd jobs here and there.

She was able to get herself two new coats, a black one and a more fancy one, which was also black, but with a lot of red swirls and turns on it. She had gotten herself a new pair of daggers, and she had decided to throw out her gloves.

Instead of wearing a black crop top with black leggings, she went for something a little bit more colorful and just as comfortable to wear. It was a red turtleneck tank top with some pair of jeans shorts. She had gotten herself some knee-high black socks and a pair of combat boots as well.

All that she had found in a shop near the Galley-La Headquarters and they were nice enough to accept throwing out her old clothes. Not far away from there, she was able to purchase some leather belts. The keeper of the shop also gave her a metallic chain, which, at that time, she didn’t know what to do with.

After that, she had lurked around, peeking in shops here and there, purchasing several other pieces of clothing as well. It was when she was nearing the end of her shopping trip that she found a gorgeous yellow oversized jacket and she got it as soon as she laid her eyes on it.

After her shopping spree, she had decided to remain in the Headquarters and lounge around, talking with Zoro, if the green-haired swordsman wasn’t napping, or Robin, if she wasn’t busy reading and acquiring more books.

The second day, everyone in the organization had called her to share their decisions with her. Ell had quickly waltzed in another room and made sure that no one was listening when she answered the calls.

She was positively surprised when seven out of the remaining ten informants decided to follow Seven, Five and Twelve to the Revolutionaries. She made sure to tell them that it would be for the best if they don’t seek each other out and remain in contact through the den-den mushis instead.

**“Yes, Thirteen, I’m sure. It is okay that you decide not to follow them to the Revolutionaries. Two, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Nine, Ten, Eleven and Twelve will be fine.”**

The woman on the other line sighed and murmured so quietly that Ell had to strain her ears to hear what she was saying.

**“What happens to those who do not follow?”**

Ell sighed and shook her head, not wanting to lie to the other woman, even if she had already answered that question.

**“Thirteen, listen to me. It could be that they will be able to find you and when that happens, you will have to find a way to protect yourself. Join a crew or something similar, someone that you know for sure that can protect you, your husbands and your kids. Because if they find out who you are … it can mean the end for you and the beginning of the end for us.”**

Ell inhaled deeply and left Thirteen no room to retort.

**“I’m not telling you this to scare you, Thirteen, but you were aware that joining my organization was going to put you in danger. And that danger will sadly never go away. I’m sorry.”**

The woman had simply told her not to worry about her and hung up afterward, and Ell knew that this was the last time that she would hear from her.

After Thirteen, only Three and Eight had told her that they wanted out and she had told them the same thing that she had told Thirteen. Three had taken the warning reasonably well, while Eight blew off and started screaming.

She had to threaten him to get him to stop and see reason. He had parted with snippy words afterward, not that she minded. From everyone in the organization, Eight was her least favorite; she had always found it hard to communicate with him.

After those discussions, Ell had left the room she had borrowed to answer the calls, and she entered the room where they were staying when Robin confronted her about her episode.

Ell had sighed at that and simply pointed at the table. She knew that the rest of the crew was interested in knowing why she had reacted in such a manner when Franky had started talking about the Adam Tree.

**“My mentor’s cabin was made of that wood, and it is so different than normal timber. It is … more human than the rest and I had a hard time befriending the one at home. And, adding to that, its melody is so different than the one surrounding us, for example. It’s smoother, and the wood is stronger and harder to manipulate.”**

Everyone had accepted her explanation and the day passed by slowly, like the previous ones. After her explanation, Ell had decided to take a nap as well, wanting to rest before they had to travel again. After her nap, she let Chopper recheck her injuries, smiling when he said that soon, they would be entirely healed.

And as the third day was starting to pass by slowly, everyone was excitedly talking about their new ship. Nami was rejoicing in the fact that the Log had set again. Nami had noticed that the needle was pointing down slightly and Kokoro had explained that their next stop would the Fishman island.

 _I have heard about that island before … but where?_ , Ell wondered as she continued to munch on some biscuits Sanji had made for her. She had made sure to glare intensely at Luffy to warn him off her food before doing so.

There were varying reactions to that piece of information. Sanji was very, very excited about the fact that he would be able to see some mermaids, while Nami had more mixed feelings about that since her village had been the victims of Fishmen’s wrath.

However, Sanji’s motivation to see the mermaids deflated the moment he looked in Kokoro’s direction, which made Ell tilt her head in confusion. She looked around for an explanation, but Nami simply shook her head, while Zoro looked to the side pointedly.

Ell shrugged at that, deciding that If her crewmates were reacting that way, she was not going to ask what happened.

 **“But it’zz not eazy to get to ze pahradise.”** (But it’s not easy to get to the paradise)

Ell’s eyes wandered in Kokoro’s direction at that, and she wondered what the elderly woman could mean by that. Robin asked the question for her though, but Kokoro simply answered that they would understand it the moment that they arrive there.

 _Isn’t Archipelago Sabaody somewhere in that region too?_ , Ell asked herself but shook her head when she heard Nami read the title of an article.

**“’14 ships disappeared this month … again.’ What does that mean?”**

Ell stood up from her place and walked over to Nami, still munching on some biscuits as she looked over the navigator’s shoulder. A frown appeared on her face as she read what it was saying.

**“Florian Triangle.”**

Ell shuddered at the name, her head snapping in Kokoro’s direction. She was still smiling like she wasn’t telling them that to get to the Fishman Island they had to sail through a very dangerous part of the ocean.

 **“It’zz an area zhat yoo haff to go zhrough to getz to ze pahradise.”** (It’s an area you have to go through to get to the paradise)

Ell quickly glanced in Luffy’s direction, but he seemed as impassive as they could come, so she sighed and shifted her attention back towards Kokoro.

 **“More zhan 100 ships each year arr reported missing on zhat sea … later on, people alzzo come across shipz without the crew … and there are even conztant sightingzz of ghost shipz that carry ze dead onboard.”** (More than 100 ships each year are reported missing on that sea … later on, people also come across ships without the crew … and there are even constant sightings of ghost ships that the dead on board.)

She noticed that both Chopper and Nami trembled, fearful of what that sea held. Ell, on the other hand, was actually very interested in those stories. She noticed that Luffy was the most excited out of everyone, wanting to meet some living skeletons.

 **“Ngagagaga, who knowzz? If something happenzz to you, you won’t come back alive. A dark zea with a thick fog … be waaaarned!”** (Ngagagaga, who knows? If something happens to you, you won’t come back alive. A dark sea with a thick frog. Be waaaarned!)

Kokoro drawled out as she lit her face with a candle. Ell chuckled at that and listened to the rest of the story, ignoring the trembling forms of Nami and Chopper, who were hugging each other.

 **“Either wayz, it’zzah dangerous zea where many accidentzz haff happened. Juz be prepared.”** (either way, it’s a dangerous sea where many accidents have happened. Just be prepared.)

Robin looked to be the least fazed by Kokoro’s horror story as she asked about the Treasure Ship. Ell snickered when she noticed that Nami’s scared eyes morphed into berries sign, a clear sign that she was now interested instead of scared.

**“LET’S GO FIND THE GHOST SHIPS!!”**

Ell laughed at that, noticing that Kokoro was looking at the crew with a disbelieving expression. As she heard Chopper squeal in fear, she saw Sanji smile happily, telling them that they had enough food to survive.

She heard Zoro ask himself if there were swords on the ghost ships and she knew that they were looking like a huge group of lunatics. _It’s because we ARE lunatics._ , Ell internally snickered from her place.

She glanced to the side to see that Robin was looking at the scene with a fond smile and she smiled as well.

**“PIRATE-BROS!!”**

The room grew silent as they waited for the two siblings to tell them what they wanted.

**“FRANKY BRO ASKED ALL OF YOU TO COME!! THE ‘DREAM SHIP’ IS DONE!!”**

This started a whole wave of excitement, and everyone sprung to their feet, walking out of the Headquarters. Ell was humming happily under her breath as she exited with the others when the Franky Family suddenly screamed out their Captain’s nickname.

Ell looked in their direction expectantly, waiting for them to deliver the news that they were obviously very excited to share.

**“DID YOU SEE THE WANTED POSTERS?”**

Ell shook her head as the rest of the crew did the same. She hadn’t thought about checking their bounty and she scratched her head as she saw that everyone had varying expressions on their face.

**“YOU … YOU HAVE AN OUTRAGEOUS BOUNTY ON YOUR HEAD, STRAWHAT-SAN!! THE OTHERS TOO! YOU ALL GOT A BOUNTY ON YOUR HEAD!”**

While Nami gasped in fear at the news, everyone else watched with excitement as one of the Franky Family members laid them out before them, his hands trembling. Ell chuckled at that and leaned forward, her notebook open and pen in her other hand.

There was no way that she was not noting down the rise of their bounty and the creation of the others. As her eyes landed on her bounty, her eyes widened at what was written on it, before she quickly snatched it away, not wanting her crew to see it before theirs.

As she looked up, she noticed that the Franky Family was looking her way with pity and she glared at them, making them look the other way. She didn’t need their pity, no matter what. This was going to become a burden, but it was a burden that she was ready to accept for the sake of her friends.

Instead of dwelling on what was written on it, she concentrated on her crewmembers’ bounties.

**_Monkey D. ‘Strawhat’ Luffy_ **

**_Dead or Alive_ **

**_300’000’000 berries_ **

**_-_ **

**_Pirate Hunter Zoro_ **

**_Dead or Alive_ **

**_120’000’000 berries_ **

**_-_ **

**_‘Devil’s child’ Nico Robin_ **

**_Dead or Alive_ **

**_80’000’000 berries_ **

**_-_ **

**_‘Cat Burglar’ Nami_ **

**_Dead or Alive_ **

**_16’000’000 berries_ **

**_-_ **

**_‘King of Sharpshooters’ Sogeking_ **

**_Dead or Alive_ **

**_70’000’000 berries_ **

**_-_ **

**_‘Cotton Candy Lover’ Chopper (pet)_ **

**_Dead or Alive_ **

**_50 berries_ **

**_-_ **

**_Black Leg Sanji (picture unavailable)_ **

**_Dead or Alive_ **

**_77’000’000 berries_ **

Ell smiled half-heartedly as she saw all the new bounties, chuckling at Luffy’s cheerfulness. Her thoughts were quickly swimming in another direction, though, when she was reminded of her bounty that she was holding in her hands as the paper fluttered.

She looked down, her eyebrows furrowing at the number and the text. _That high, huh? The Top truly wants me dead, don’t they?_ , Ell thought, glaring at her bounty. Ell gritted her teeth together as she tried to understand what they wanted from her.

 _What could they possibly gain by my death, except my silence? Do they really need to go that far for that? Or is it revenge on me because I decided to betray them? Last time, I checked, they wanted me to change my opinion and join their side … This is a very … unconvincing method to do so …_ , Ell thought angrily as she bit down on her nails, her brows furrowed.

**“Woohoo! Mine increased!”**

Ell was snatched out of her thoughts as she heard Luffy cheer for his raise, Nami and Chopper gasping, the navigator out of shock, while the doctor was doing it out of disbelief. Robin was as impassive as ever and Sanji was looking at him with dread.

Ell noticed that Zoro was looking at her hands intently and she knew that he wanted to take a look at her bounty. She shook her head and mouthed to him that he should wait.

**“Even Sogeking got one!”**

Ell chuckled at that one, but she was still shocked with the fact that they had doubled her bounty and they had decided that they wouldn’t even give her the chance to be sentenced. Suddenly, Luffy popped up before her, looking at Ell expectantly.

**“ELL! Why did you take your bounty before we could see it?! Why are you trying to hide it from us?”**

Ell heaved a sigh as she looked her Captain dead in the eyes. She wanted him to see that what she was going to say would affect not only her but all of them.

**“Because of what is written on it, Luffy.”**

Luffy raised an eyebrow at that; his face scrunched up in confusion. She noticed that the whole Franky Family tensed up at that and she knew that it did not bypass any of the crew’s members.

**“What … what do you mean, Ell?”**

Nami was the first one to speak up and Ell glance in her direction before looking back down. She inhaled sharply before she looked back up and explained carefully what she meant.

**“You all know that there can be several types of text on the bounty, right? And that they all mean something else, right?”**

Only Luffy tilted his head to the side, a confused expression on his face. The rest nodded carefully at that, wariness now dancing in each of their eyes. Ell heaved a sigh and turned her bounty for everyone to see.

**“I’m wanted … but only dead.”**

**_‘The Traitor’ Ell ManderVill_ **

**_Only Dead_ **

**_265’000’000 berries_ **

Her whole crew stiffened at that and Robin was one of the only ones who seemed to grasp the real seriousness of the situation. Ell slowly put the paper amongst the rest and as she straightened from her crouching position, Luffy spoke up.

**“What does it truly mean that you are wanted only dead? Aren’t we all wanted dead?”**

Ell looked at her captain and smiled wryly in response.

**“When you are wanted Dead or Alive, it means that you have a chance of surviving and being judged. If you are wanted Only Alive, it usually means that someone with a lot of influence wants you alive to pass judgment themselves or they want you for something else. Only Dead, however, …”**

Ell hesitated momentarily and wondered if she should continue, but as Robin finished her sentence, she felt her shoulders sag in relief.

**“When Only Dead is written on the bounty, Luffy, it means that the World Government does not even want to give that individual a chance to survive. They want them dead, no matter the cost. In easier words, it makes you a bigger target.”**

Ell looked up as Robin finished her explanation; her facial expression contorting into an angry sneer.

**“I’m sure you are all wondering why I’m wanted only dead and I will explain, but the Franky Family came here with a request, so it would be nice of us to listen.”**

Ell mumbled, pointing in the squirming men’s direction. Luffy’s eyes were hooded by his Strawhat as she saw him nod and she knew that he was either angered or surprised.

She tuned out what the Franky Family was asking of Luffy, looking back up in the sky as she listened intently to the melody surrounding them. She was trying to pinpoint the location of their new ship, but its song was to faint for her to hear it.

With a heavy sigh, she looked back down and winced as the Franky Family yelled all together with their request.

**“PLEASE!! EVEN USE FORCE, IF NECESSARY! TAKE OUR BRO TO THE SEA!”**

**_‘Cyborg’ Franky_ **

**_Dead or Alive_ **

**_44’000’000 berries_ **

–

**“Ell, you told us that there was a reason as to why you have such a high bounty and you are only wanted dead. What is it?”**

Ell looked at everyone and saw that Sanji was still depressed with his picture, while Nami was trying to see the good side in having a bounty. Chopper was still whining about his bounty being too small for him.

Ell looked back towards Robin, who had been the one asking her the question and as she nodded, she noted that everyone’s attention immediately landed on her. She shook her head at their curiosity and leaned against the table.

**“It’s a quite long story, but I’ll shorten it slightly.”**

Ell smiled as she saw everyone move to stand around her. She heaved another sigh before starting.

 **“It all started when another kid was executed because she looked like me.”**


	20. Goodbye Water 7 and Welcome Back Usopp

**_“It all started when another kid was executed because she looked like me.”_ **

Silence filled the room as they waited patiently for Ell to talk about her story, her past. They all knew that she did not want to be pitied, neither would they want that.

**“The world thought I was dead and after my mentor died as well, an organization called The Top took me in and trained me. It was only recently, when I started to have enough of them, that my bounty appeared and that the Marine showed the world that I was still alive and kicking. My Epithet is a reference to what happened to my home island and to the fact that I was starting to betray The Top too.”**

Everyone was looking at Ell as she looked out of the window, her grey eyes swimming with emotions.

**“It was when I met you, Luffy and accepted becoming part of your crew, that they decided that I had betrayed them for good. They know that 2 years ago, I had created an organization that I called The Informants, which regrouped thirteen individuals who wanted to gather information for the sake of this world.**

**Either way, four days ago, The Top contacted me at the banquet and threatened you guys. I flipped and threatened them in return, which they did not like. This–“**

Ell pointed at her bounty

**“–is probably the start of my punishment. The calls I have been taking yesterday were from all the people in my organization that I needed to join the Revolutionaries to be safe.”**

Ell exhaled as she stated the last part, her eyes trained on her crew’s reaction. Luffy was looking slightly confused, but determination easily overpowered it. Zoro looked serious and she knew that he was taking everything that she was telling them seriously.

Robin was looking at her with understanding, much like Nami. Chopper’s lips were trembling as he realized that she had put herself in danger to protect them and Sanji was swooning over her like he always did.

**“Guys. I know that I sacrificed myself, but know that I would do it as often as I need to if I can make sure that one less danger looms over your head. You are my nakamas, after all.”**

Luffy grinned brightly at that and he suddenly hugged her tightly. Ell laughed and patted her Captain’s head, a fond smile on her face. After the entirety of the crew told her that they would stand at her side no matter what, they started packing their stuff.

After Zoro told them what they should do about the issue with Usopp, they all made their way to the Junkyard, where their future ship was waiting for them. As they slowly approached the place, a peaceful melody started to drift in the air, making Ell relax immediately.

She recognised the melody as coming from the Adam Tree, it was like she remembered. Smooth and powerful, oozing with confidence and pride. It was really a pleasure to listen to it and as Ell closed her eyes to enjoy the melody more, she heard Luffy yell loudly in excitement.

**“HEEY!!! WE’RE HERE, FRANKY!! GIVE US THE SHIP!!”**

Ell chuckled at that and took some steps back so that she could save her eardrums from destruction by Luffy’s excitement.

As they arrived before the ship, it was covered with a huge blanket, making it impossible for them to peak under it. Iceburg was standing before it and he laughed as he saw the excitement shining in everyone’s eyes.

**“With this ship, you can go to the end of the world.”**

Iceburg started as he grabbed the blanket and Ell saw the stars of excitement shine in everyone’s eyes.

**“Franky also left you a message, Strawhat:”**

Luffy didn’t acknowledge that as he yelled at the mayor to show them the ship. Iceburg simply chuckled as he took off the blanket and fiercely told them Franky’s message.

**“If you will be the Pirate King one day, then set sail with the ’King of Beasts’”**

Ell felt her heart jump at the sight of the majestic ship before them. She ignored all of their reactions as she neared the ship, her hand outstretched. It was as if she was in a trance as she touched the boat. As her hand made contact with the boat, everything around her disappeared as she felt herself being sucked into his spirit.

_ Hello, Ell ManderVill. It has been a long time since we talked together, hasn’t it? _

Ell gasped as she heard the wood’s voice resonate in her mind and unconsciously her left hand went to her head. After inhaling deeply, she answered the wood.

**“It has been a long time, indeed, Adam Tree.”**

A chuckle resonated in her mind and she smiled. It was strange to talk to the wood, to consider it to be someone living instead of just some material, but she pushed that thought aside. This was going to become their new friend.

**“Thank you in advance for everything you will be doing for us.”**

Ell murmured, her head filled with his melody. It was a hard feat to remain connected with the ship, and she was already feeling the sweat that was building over all of her body.

_ You are welcome, Ell. Talk to me soon, won’t you? _

Ell gasped as she took her hand off of it, panting ever so slightly. She fell to her knees, the power that she had felt from the wood still shaking her to the core. It was way more powerful than the one back home, it felt more determined, more happy.

As she looked up, she noticed that everyone was already on the ship and that Iceburg was talking with Luffy. Inhaling sharply as she felt another presence in her mind, she slowly opened it, wanting to know who was poking at it.

_ Never knew that I could do this. _

A voice mumbled in excitement, and she knew who it was immediately. _My guess would be that you can only do it when I’m in your vicinity._ , Ell thought, wanting to see if she could communicate with the ship without having to talk with him out loud.

_ Indeed, I guess that would be true. _

A quiet hum accompanied that sentence and Ell smiled. Deciding that she had enough and she wanted to explore the ship a little bit, she jumped onto it, landing on the deck with a soft thud. She smiled at the happy smiles that adorned everyone’s faces.

**“Ell!”**

Ell turned around as she heard someone call her name and she watched as her Captain slid to a stop before her. She nodded at her captain as she waited for him to tell her what he needed to.

**“Ell! Can you create a small bridge all over the shipwreck island?”**

Ell smiled at her Captain and nodded.

**“Of course, Captain. Just gimme a minute.”**

Luffy smiled happily as ran towards Water 7, leaving Robin and Nami behind alongside Ell. Ell laughed as Zoro, and Sanji quickly followed their Captain and Chopper took a more practical form before following the three.

Ell did as her Captain had asked and had created a small bridge that crossed the whole shipwreck island, Zoro, Sanji and Chopper using it immediately to their advantage.

**“I wonder if that would be enough to get Franky to join us.”**

Ell laughed at Nami’s question and shook her head.

**“I don’t think so, Nami. I think he needs to be pushed to the extreme to join us.”**

This time, it was Robin and Nami’s turn to chuckle at her comment.

**“Hardheaded men.”**

They sighed simultaneously, grinning in each other’s direction when they realized that they had thought the same. _This was going to be interesting._ , Ell thought happily and jumped when she heard the ship chuckle at her comment.

 _This will need some time getting used to._ , she shook her head, smiling as she noticed something land on the ground not far away from where they were on the boat.

Luffy and Chopper landed quickly after and Luffy held his arms up with Franky’s pants proudly hanging in his fingers. Ell shook her head again at the silliness of the situation. Franky, who was head first in the wreckage that the island was made of, surfaced out of it with a scowl.

As he turned around, Luffy started yelling, making Ell wince once again at the volume.

**“THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE SHIP!!! IT’S THE GREATEST! WE’LL TAKE GOOD CARE OF IT!!”**

Ell smiled as she heard Franky reply with a more controlled voice. Even with his sunglasses on, Ell could see the longing in his eyes. He wanted to board that ship just as much as they wanted him to climb aboard of it.

**“Yeah. I wish you all a safe journey with the ship.”**

Ell shook her head at his stubbornness and she knew that if Luffy decided that you would become part of his crew, than you had no choice than to accept your fate. They all had to go through that in some way, shape or form.

**“If you want these back, then be our Nakama!”**

And there it was. Ell knew that if he really didn’t want to join them, that he would be able to purchase new pants, but it seemed to fly out of his mind as he ordered Luffy to give him back his pants. Ell chuckled as Luffy simply answered that he would become his friend then.

**“Don’t be silly … don’t assume you can make me your Nakama just by taking my pants. Ow!”**

Just as he said that he made his usual pose, and thus he flashed his lower part. Ell shook her head at that and rolled her eyes for good measures too. She watched with anticipation as Robin used her Devil Fruit to take his manhood and squeeze it.

Ell winced as she imagined the pain, but chuckled when she noticed that the older woman had a calm expression on her face.

**“I hope, you will never do something like this to me or to any of our comrades.”**

Ell mumbled as she bumped her shoulder to Robin’s, making the older woman chuckle lowly. She saw that some kind of conversation was going on between Franky and Iceburg. She smiled as she remembered that the two of them had both been disciples of the late Tom.

She saw him start to cry at some point and after looking in Robin’s direction and seeing her small smile, she deduced that she had simply squeezed once and that he was using that as an excuse to cry freely.

Suddenly, something heavy landed before him, and as the smoke cleared, she noticed that it was a bag and that at the place where her small bridge ended the whole Franky Family stood on their knees, begging Franky to follow his dream.

She saw Franky lean backward and start to wail. She shook her head once again and leaned against the railing, with her elbows on it and her hands supporting her head.

**“Don’t be so dramatic, Luffy. It doesn’t hurt that much.”**

Ell laughed as he growled at her that it hurts and that she would never be able to understand that. She gave it to him, but there were other places where it could hurt if you poked it hard enough.

Franky wailed once again as he blamed his tears on the pain Robin was giving him. She smiled, happy that Franky had such a good family and that they were ready to let him leave.

_ It would be nice to have him on board. _

Ell tensed as the ship’s voice abruptly entered her thoughts, but she relaxed, letting a chuckle leave her lips.

_He will come. I’m sure of it._

Just as Ell answered the ship, both Sanji and Zoro suddenly yelled out Luffy’s name. Ell tensed as the worried and urgent tone in their voices, and she straightened.

**“The situation is getting worse!”**

Sanji started, and Zoro explained why.

**“Your Grandpa is coming back, Luffy! They already took the offensive in the coast over there, and they are looking for us.”**

Ell immediately took out her daggers and took off her yellow jacket. She placed it on top of her baggage, which she still had to place in her room. As Sanji commented on the fact that Franky still hadn’t gotten his pants back, Luffy threw them his way, a smile on his face.

**“Now get on my ship, Franky.”**

The ship’s melody grew louder as Franky accepted their Captain’s offer.

_One more Nakama. And this one can take care of you better than anyone._

The ship chuckled at that and she was growing tired of calling him the ship. They had still to choose a name for him, but she knew that whatever name they choose, it would fit the ship well.

**“Put your pants on already.”**

As Sanji commented that, she grew tired of waiting and with the help of the ship, she took his bag with a wooden arm and a wooden rope snailed itself around his feet dragging him onto the ship. Luffy huffed in her direction and she simply smiled back.

As Franky was on the ship and she was sure that everyone was ready, she packed the wooden stairs onto the ship with her Devil Fruit and threw Franky’s bag in his direction.

A grateful grunt was her answer and as she looked up,  she knew that someone was missing. She was sad that Usopp had not come back to them and she remembered the scene Zoro had caused concerning Usopp’s return.

 **_“Leaving a crew is not that easy, Luffy. If he doesn’t apologize when he talks to us than he shouldn’t come back. And if you still accept him back, I will be the one to leave the crew.”_ ** _, Zoro told them seriously, his eyes burning with seriousness. Ell looked to the side, knowing just how true that was._

Franky was seemingly concerned as well, and even though Luffy answered with a smile, she knew that Usopp’s departure was still hurting him a lot. She used the wood from the mast Luffy was leaning against, to pat him on his shoulder.

Suddenly, something landed not far from the ship and Ell sprung to her feet immediately, her daggers out once again. She had totally forgotten about the threat of Luffy’s grandpa when she took Franky onto the ship.

**“Crap! They’ve found us!”**

Ell cursed under her breath as she walked towards the edge of the boat, wincing when another bullet made contact with the island just beside them. The fire sent a shiver crawl down her spine, but it wasn’t as bad as in Enies Lobby.

**“H-HE THREW THE CANNONBALL WITH HIS BARE HANDS?!”**

Ell glared at Sanji as she quickly deflected another bullet coming their way. She heard Garp order the Marines to give him more cannonballs and a shudder went down her spine.

 _This will not end well if we do not get away from here soon …_ , Ell growled internally, gritting her teeth as another cannonball made contact with the junkyard that the island was where they were accosted.

**“HE’S HERE!!”**

Ell jumped at Chopper’s excited shout and her head snapped in his direction. She heard distinctive shouts coming from where the Franky Family was standing and she knew that Chopper was right. Usopp came.

She gritted her teeth together as she heard him call out for them, but she ignored him like the rest of the crew. Chopper tried to get them to listen, but they all said that they heard nothing. She deflected another wave of cannonballs, her shoulders bumping with Zoro’s.

Zoro simply shook his head, making Ell sigh. She knew, deep down, that this was the right thing to do, that if Usopp did not admit that he was in the wrong.

_Hey ship, I could use some help here. Could you deflect some cannonballs for us, please?_

Ell thought, hoping the ship would be able to hear her and help them.

_ Sure thing, Ell. I leave it to you to control the wood, though. _

Ell nodded and lifted her hand, just as Usopp shouted at the top of his lungs as if this was the last thing he would ever tell them.

 **“I’M ZOOOWWWWWY!!!”** (I’M SOOORRRRRY!)

_Thanks._

Ell smiled as she heard him apologize, using that moment to create a huge wall of Adam’s wood. Several cannonballs crashed against it, and when she felt it crack, she quickly modeled it so that the wood took the form of a gigantic spear.

**_ “1stForm: Spear.” _ **

Ell frowned as she heard herself utter those words, but she quickly shrugged it away and concentrated on the incoming cannonballs and Usopp.

 **“I’M ZOWWY FOR BEING SDUBBORN!! I WAS WRONG!!”** (I’M SORRY FOR BEING STUBBORN! I WAS WRONG!)

Ell heard Zoro call out this name and she laughed quietly under her breath as she sent the spear flying in Garp’s direction. She heard curses come from the Marine ship and another joyous laugh escaped her.

**“I KNOW IT’S SHAMEFUL! AND I KNOW I SAID I LEFT THE CREW!”**

**“Listen closely to what he’s going to admit, Luffy.”**

Ell whispered as she used her daggers to slice through another cannonball. Luffy’s head snapped in her direction and as he saw her smile, he looked back towards Usopp, his eyes wide with disbelief.

**“CAN I … CAN I TAKE BACK WHAT I SAID?! CAN I PLEASE … ?! PLEASE! PLEASE LET ME STAY WITH YOU GUYS! PLEASE!!”**

Ell saw Usopp get down on his knees and her smile brightened considerably. She laughed as Franky and Zoro smirked at her reaction. She rolled her eyes as she quickly kicked a cannonball away from her Captain’s head.

**“PLEASE MAKE ME YOUR NAKAMA ONE MORE TIME!!”**

At his last sentence, she saw Luffy stretch out his arm, and she quickly took some steps back, not wanting to be in the middle of the crash that would be Usopp’s landing. Ell laughed as she saw Luffy’s crying expression.

**“IDIOT … HURRY UP AND GRAB MY HAND!!”**

Ell laughed harder as she heard  Zoro comment on the fact that Luffy was an idiot and Nami say that they looked so lame. Ell smiled as she saw both Chopper and Sanji jump in happiness and Franky grin brightly at the scene.

**“Finally … everyone’s together! Let’s just get away from this bombardment and head of an adventure, guys!”**

At Luffy’s cheerful sentence everyone cried their support. Ell cringed as she felt her spear being kicked away from the Marine ship. She quickly ran to the border ignoring the cannonballs that were exploding right and left and immediately took back control of it.

Suddenly, something clicked inside her and her eyes widened as she saw the spear start to transform into several small triangles. Words left her lips before she could control it and she stilled as she saw what was happening.

Everyone in the crew grew silent as they watched the small triangles of Adam’s wood transform a protecting shield around the ship. She distantly noted that some even let out some surprised gasps, but she could hardly concentrate on them.

All of her attention was on the transforming triangles that slowly started to connect with one another to create a flexible façade.  

**_ “2ndForm: Trojan Triangles” _ **

_ You are worthy, Ell, never let anyone else tell you otherwise. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t be able to use me like this. _

Ell momentarily wondered what had brought that on and why the ship was telling her that she was worth it, but she shrugged it off and accepted what had happened. She still had to be concentrated to have this wall up.


	21. Next (Planned) Stop: Fishmen Island

**“Hurry! Take in the sails!”**

Ell snapped out of whatever trance she was in as she heard Franky yell out that sentence. She shook her head and looked back towards her crew, to see them cheer that Usopp was back.

Nami was the only one who looked at the scene with a skeptical look and Ell snorted quietly at that. She snickered when she heard Zoro yell at them to help them instead of being idiots.

**“The name of the ship? Right now, when we have Luffy’s Grandpa chasing us?”**

Ell asked incredulous, her eyebrows raising. She wouldn’t mind naming the ship, because calling him the ship was becoming harder, but at another time would have been better,

**“Yup. You can’t really sail off with a positive vibe unless the ship has a name.”**

Ell tilted her head at that, nodding her head slowly. She could see his point. She shrugged and readjusted her backpack on her shoulders. Suddenly, she remembered her yellow jacket that she had left at the main deck.

Cursing lowly under her breath, she quickly ran towards the main deck, and she sighed in relief as she saw that Robin had her jacket in her hands. She adjusted the turtleneck of her tank top and smiled gratefully in Robin’s direction.

**“Here is your jacket, Ell. Be more careful next time.”**

Ell grinned sheepishly in her direction, nodding her head as the older woman send the jacket flying in her direction. As it landed in her hands, she quickly moved away from her backpack and put the coat back on.

She flung her backpack over her shoulder and slightly readjusted her daggers’ place. She sighed in relief as she felt their weight, but her attention was quickly taken away from that thought as she heard Luffy yell out excitedly.

**“Bear! Polar Bear! Lion!”**

_Is he thinking of names for the ship?_ , Ell wondered incredulously, her eyes showing her thoughts on Luffy’s proposition.

_ I hope that none of you accept those names. I can’t imagine being named something like that. _

Ell snickered at that and shook her head, gaining several looks from her crewmembers. She merely shrugged her shoulders and smiled as Luffy continued to propose names. Finally, Franky interrupted the Captain.

**“I have some suggestions of my own too.”**

_ I hope that they are better than Luffy’s … _

Ell stifled a small snicker at that, feeling the wood beneath her shift in sync with the ship's agitation concerning his name. She patted the railing, silently telling him that she would make sure that his name would be something that he could be proud of.

 _Just listen to Franky’s proposition. If worse comes to worst, I will choose your name. What do you think of **Sailing Sunflower**?_ , Ell asked, grinning brightly.

She felt the wood kick her, making her stumble slightly, and she laughed again. The ship’s melody turned moody as she continued to snicker.

_ That wasn’t funny, Ell. I swear if you name me like that, I will throw you overboard. _

**“Thousand Sunny.”**

Ell stopped herself from replying, feeling the ship’s melody brighten tremendously. Everyone stilled and smiled in unison as they agreed on that name.

 _What do you think of that name?_ , Ell asked the ship, even though she knew that answer already.

_ I love it. **Thousand Sunny**. _

Ell grinned brightly as she tested the sound the ship’s name on her tongue. It rolled off great, and she nodded in satisfaction.

**“A ship that crosses thousands of seas. Sounds wonderful. ‘Sunny’ too.”**

Robin commented, making most of the crew nod in agreement. Usopp seemed to be the most bummed though as he lamented their name making skills, which made Ell chuckle again.

While everyone cheered the name Iceburg had come up with for their ship, Ell slowly disintegrated the flexible wall of triangles, all the wooden material slowly transforming into a necklace.

_ It would be for the best for you to have a piece of me on you at all time, Ell. Adam’s wood IS rare, after all. _

Ell nodded at that, knowing that the Sunny was right. She smiled as the necklace hung around her neck, humming languidly. She felt a small weight being lifted off her shoulders as she saw Luffy stand on the rail of their ship, a big smile on his lips.

**“GRANPA! AND COBY! AND …”**

Ell laughed as he ignored Helmeppo’s name and grinned as he told his Grandfather that they would leave now. By the heated response that the Vice-Admiral was giving him, she knew that he didn’t like that.

Ell just shook her head as she felt Franky move through the ship, readying something. Ell cocked her head to the side as she felt the Sunny’s melody started to pulse with power and impatience. She rolled her eyes at that and leaned against the railing with her elbows.

She winced slightly when she heard Luffy yell his thanks to Water 7 and its mayor. Ell knew that they wouldn’t be able to hear her, but she smiled nonetheless.

Suddenly, she felt the air shift, and Ell’s head snapped up abruptly. She gulped audibly at the sight of the giant cannonball that was coming their way. She backed away slightly, her hands outstretched if she needed to help them.

A sudden pull made her hold onto the railing, her heart reeling with adrenaline. A loud laugh escaped her lips as she heard Franky yell out the name of this special fleeing technic.

**“COUP DE BURST!”**

She heard all of them exclaim that they knew that feeling, but she ignored them in favor of savoring their moment in the air. She let go of the railing and stretched her arms out. She enjoyed the wind that was blowing against her, feeling her hair fly in all directions possible.

**“Everything that the Going Merry was able to do this ship will be able to do as well. He will even surpass her at some point! THIS THOUSAND SUNNY WILL INHERIT HER BRAVE SPIRIT!”**

Ell smiled as she heard the Sunny respond to Franky’s exclamation with a powerful hum, which made her vibrate under its power. She turned her head to see that they were too far now to be able to see Water 7.

**“If he breaks, I will fix it without a flaw. Count on me for your ship and weapon needs!”**

Ell smiled as the Sunny finally landed, feeling slightly tired as the adrenaline of the fight started to wear off. She cocked her head to the side, wondering if she was feeling so tired because of the new technics that she had just used.

_ Most certainly. Using me will be more taxing than normal wood, Ell. _

Ell nodded at that as she took all of her bags and made her way to the room she knew Franky had created for her. She smiled as she heard Luffy order Sanji to prepare for a feast and she shook her head.

As she finally reached her future room, she gaped at the sight of it. It was enormous for only one person, and it had everything she needed. There was a desk at the far corner, a window at the right place so that she could look out and a bed on the right side.

On the left side, the whole wall was covered with books and a safe place where she could put her den-den mushis. She grinned brightly as she closed the door behind her, dropping all of her bags on the floor.

It seemed like it was big enough to train in here as well and she heard the Sunny hum in agreement. She took out the two snails that Two had given to her, placing them carefully in the safe keeper. As she did that, she marched towards her desk, noticing a small wardrobe not far away from her bed.

She smiled as she took another bag and put all of her clothing in it, happy that everything fit in it. She kept her black coat on the very top of the cabinet, wanting to have easy access to it. As she was done, she put her backpack on her desk.

As she was done with that, she took out her notebook, opening it. She slowly made her way to her bed, and she noticed as she arrived at the end that she had not many pages left to write on it.

She sighed in relief as she had thought of getting several new notebooks, but she knew that if the need came to be, that her memory could retain a lot of information and that Franky or Usopp would make a new one for her.

She noticed that she had absentmindedly doodled their situations all over the pages. She smiled as she arrived at one page where she and Luffy had gotten in a small fight over who could get the last piece of food.

She laughed quietly as she noticed that she had drawn Sanji and Zoro fighting with each other. A sudden idea popped up in her head, and she quickly took out another notebook, opening it on the first page.

The Adventure of the Strawhat Pirates

A huge smile was on her lips as she started drawing key moment of what had happened at Rasberry Island, Water 7 and Enies Lobby. She drew the Going Merry and the moment they said goodbye to her.

She drew the creation process of the Sunny and everything that happened until now. When she was done, she noticed that an hour had already passed. She heard Luffy already talking animatedly with Usopp and Chopper, while Sanji was in the kitchen, starting with the feast.

Nami and Robin were talking with one another, while Zoro was napping and Franky was watching over their Captain, Doctor, and Sharpshooter.

She shifted her attention back to the book, and she grinned brightly as she scanned through all the papers that she had drawn upon. 10 pages were filled with sketches, doodles, and exact drawings. With a smile, she took the two notebooks and placed them on the shelf.

She slowly walked back towards her backpack and took out several more notebooks, quickly using the surrounding wood to place them on the shelf as well. As she was done, she glanced in her backpack to see that only her trusty pen and her new pair of daggers remained.

She quickly put the daggers with the other pair that she had and put the pen into an internal pocket in her jacket. She walked towards the bookshelf once again and took the smallest notebook and placed it with the pen.

When she was finally happy with everything, she closed the safe keeper and walked out of her room and towards the main deck, where she heard Sanji inquire after her.

**“I’m here, Sanji. I was just putting things in my room.”**

Sanji swooned at the sight of her, and she secondly wondered what he could possibly see in her, but shook her head at that thought and sat down beside Franky, who gave her a cup of beer.

Ell smiled in thanks as she sat down and raised her cup with everyone else.

**“CHEERS!! LET’S GO! NEXT STOP: FISHMAN ISLAND!!”**

Ell laughed with the rest of the crew as they started to eat and cheer together. Everyone was ready for the new adventure that was coming their way. The crew started partying until late in the night, everyone enjoying themselves on their new ship.

–

It was late in the night when Ell heard her den-den mushi ring. She heaved a sigh and stood up from her place at her desk and walked towards her shelf. She quietly took the big den-den mushi out of the safe keeper and the white snail with it.

She put it on her desk and had her notebook open when she answered whoever was calling her.

**“You are calling in the middle of the night. Whoever this is, you better have a good reason to disturb me.”**

Ell knew that she sounded conceited, but she had been feeling slightly down lately, and something had been weighing down on her. She had a feeling that something important had happened and she hoped that whoever was calling was going to tell her about it.

**“One-sama, we’re sorry to have disturbed you, but it IS really important …”**

Ell tensed at the worried tone Two was using. She knew that tone. She hated it as well because it meant trouble. It had been the same tone she had used when she had delivered some bad news to the rest of the organization.

A heavy sigh left her lips as she straightened, clicking her light on. She was used to short nights, but she had a feeling that this night was going to be even shorter than the rest.

**“Hit me. I’m listening.”**

A nervous chuckle was her respond before another familiar voice filled replaced Two.

**“We were informed by another base that there was a fight that involved Blackbeard, Marshall D. Teach, and Portgas D. Ace.”**

_Ten._ , Ell thought as she straightened in her seat, her expression growing neutral. It was a bad habit of hers when she started to panic. She would only allow herself to do so internally.

**“What was the outcome?”**

Ell inquired, feeling dread start pooling in her gut. She gritted her teeth together as she instinctively knew that whatever they were going to tell her wasn’t good.

**“Well … what we can tell you is that the whole island on which they fought was destroyed and luckily, no victims were made. However … we have a feeling that whatever has been happening there will be triggering a lot of events down the line.”**

This time, Two had spoken, and Ell nodded absentmindedly. She had the same feeling, now that she was listening to them instead of pushing them away. She heaved another sigh as she leaned back against her chair.

**“What else can you tell me?”**

This time, Ten sighed out loud as he admitted to her that he wouldn’t be able to tell her more. The Revolutionaries don’t know more about this situation than the rest of the world.

**“So the Marines and the World Government simply decided to leave the details out, or are they going to admit to anything later down the line?”**

Ell asked with trepidation because part of her knew that if they caught Portgas D. Ace, they would execute him to get to Whitebeard. From what she had understood from the situation, is that Marshall D. Teach had betrayed Whitebeard and since he was in Ace’s division, he tracked him down.

**“We can only imagine that if they do have Ace, that they will make a big show out of him. He is part of Whitebeard’s crew, a Yonkō, but most importantly, his bounty is 550’000’000 berries last time we checked. “**

Ell nodded at what Two just said, and she distractedly started to note down what she needed and draw some doodles.

**“It is a high bounty … I just hope that they won’t catch him, he’s a nice guy. Teach, on the other hand, I wouldn’t mind seeing HIM gone.”**

The two men on the other side chuckled at Ell’s tone but voiced their agreement nonetheless. Their whole organization had something against Blackbeard if they knew of him. The ones who didn’t were either too far away to see the consequences of his actions or never cared to research.

**“However, I have a feeling that this will not be how things will end.”**

Ell commented as she leaned back forward. She put her elbows on the table and supported with one hand her head, while the other one held the microphone.

A frown appeared on the den-den mushi’s eyes, and Ell knew that they were agreeing silently with her. She shook her head at the frown and continued talking.

**“I know it will be hard and all, but whatever happens, try to remain out of the fire line. You both know that something is going to happen, that fight won’t go down unpunished.”**

The snail momentarily closed its eyes, before opening them again, its mouth in a grim smile.

**“Yes, we know, One-sama. The same applies to you.”**

A wry chuckle escaped her lips as she leaned her head against the desk, the microphone to her mouth.

**“That will be hard with my Captain.”**

Ell huffed as she yawned, feeling her tiredness start creeping up on her. Two and Ten both chuckled and knew that that much was true by the way she had been describing her most recent adventure with him.

**“He does sound like a piece of work.”**

Ell laughed at that, before snorting her remark.

**“Sure, that he is. But I wouldn’t have him any other way. Instead of running away as I did so many years ago, I run forward.”**

The two men remained quiet at her comment, surely remembering her past. The two men were her most trusted comrades before Monkey D. Luffy decided to barge into her life.

**“That makes me remember! Your bounty has risen up quite a lot, you know? All your bounties together make for the astounding sum of 972’000’000 and 50 berries. Continue like this, and soon you will be reaching the billion.”**

Ell remained quiet at that comment. Her bounty was still a slightly sore subject, since it was still rare to have the Only Dead mentioned on a poster and that it put her whole crew in danger.

**“I know, but my bounty is the one that is putting so much attention on the crew. And adding to that, it wasn’t that long ago that they put the very first bounty on my head …”**

Ell trailed off at the end, knowing that her very first bounty appeared around the time where Luffy got his second bounty. Someone on the other side sighed deeply.

**“One, those bounties were used to give you warnings. Your very first bounty was because you refused to infiltrate the Red Hairs and the second was because they knew that you betrayed them, but you weren’t open about it. The last one … well, we think that the Top and the Government have something to do with this. The Government still wants you dead, and you know it.”**

Ell sighed and nodded, uttering a quiet sound of agreement.

**“I know, but it’s hard, you know? To other people, I’m simply another pirate that made her debut or I’m that one survivor that is the reason behind the destruction of Gabrie and who has hidden before she was finally found again. And I know I’m the two of them because I am a survivor, but I am a pirate as well … it’s just … the reasoning behind my action is shrouded in lies and manipulation … I feel just so … frustrated … sad … angry …”**

Ell growled under her breath as she pushed the chair back and started pacing around the room.

**“I want to be more than that. I want people to see the Truth and not just some honeyed, half-assed truth that nobody can truly believe in. I want so much, yet I know I can get so little. I wanted my family to live, yet they died. I wanted for Gabriel to live, yet he died … I have a feeling that if I want something, it will disappear as soon as I say those words out loud … I’m scared of wanting too much …”**

Ell sighed as she let her body fall onto the bed, her eyes starting to water. She heard Two murmur something, but she was too far away and too tired to listen to what he had to say. It wasn’t meant for her, either way.

**“Listen, One-sama; we understand the struggles. Maybe not exactly what you are going through, but we understand what is going on. Ignore them. We know, easier said than done, but we need you as our boss. We need you, and your crew needs you. So be strong and fight. For us, for your comrades, for your freedom, for the truth. Stop putting yourself down and stand up straight. Don’t let the Top or the World win.”**

Ell stilled at Two’s words, and the whole room was silent as she threw his words around in her mind. She let out an uncertain laugh as she stood up from her bed, slowly walking towards the den-den mushi, who seemed to watch her near it.

She slowly took the microphone, a small, trembling smile on her lips.

**“Thanks for reminding me that so many people count on me, Two-san.”**

Two was about to retort something, but Ell interrupted him.

**“No, really, Two-san. I’m grateful to have met you and Ten. And many others in our organization. I’m so proud of all of you, and I feel the need to tell you this again. I know I may sound ungrateful sometimes, that I may be a bitch, that I may be controlling, but here you are. Thank you for the two of you.”**

She heard two hearty chuckles coming from the other side of the line, and she smiled. She realized that she had all the support she needed. Her crew, her organization and herself. That will have to suffice.


	22. Living Skeleton and New Island: Thriller Bark

**“I GOT ONE!!”**

Ell grinned as she heard Luffy yell in joy again. They had been fishing the whole morning, getting all kinds of fishes in their ship’s aquarium. Ell found it practical because it meant more food for them.

**“THINK OF WHAT CAN LIVE TOGETHER, IT’S AS SIMPLE AS THAT!!”**

Ell heard Sanji yell at the Luffy and probably Usopp too, making Ell laugh loudly. They were still as idiotic as ever, those two together. She closed her notebook and put it back into her shelf as she exited her room.

She stretched out her tired limbs as she took off her jacket, putting it around her waist instead. She felt around the ship, trying to pinpoint everyone’s location.

Zoro was in that tower that is attached to the mast, while Nami was taking a bath and Chopper was relaxing in the Medical Room. Usopp, Sanji, Luffy, Franky, and Robin were all in the room that is surrounded by the Aquarium.

Ell was slowly making her way up from her chamber when she heard Zoro’s voice resonate through the whole ship.

**“Hey! Something’s floating in the water!”**

_Thank god, Franky thought about communication on such a big ship. That makes it so much easier to talk with one another._ ; Ell thought happily as she pushed the door to the Main deck open, grinning as she saw that everyone was gathered together.

Nami was standing on the higher part of the Main deck as Luffy picked up the floating barrel. Ell tilted her head as she slowly walked around it, trying to see what it is.

**“It says ‘Sea Gods Houzen’ on it, right? That’s a ‘floating barrel’. Someone was praying for a safe trip. So they made an offering to the guardian deities of the sea. ‘Houzen’ means ‘to the Gods’.”**

Ell narrowed her eyes as she placed her hand onto the barrel, trying to feel what is in it. She only felt something solid in it, but that could be everything.

**“What the … then picking it up was pointless.”**

Ell shook her head as she faced Luffy.

**“I don’t think so, Luffy. I feel that something is in it, but it could be alcohol as much as it could be a trap.”**

Ell saw that Zoro’s attention was on them as soon as alcohol was a possibility. She shook her head at the first mate, turning her attention back to her crewmates, who were still debating whether or not they should open the barrel.

Ell noticed that everyone was ready to open the barrel and she shook her head, knowing that it was most likely either empty or filled with sake.

**“We’ll still have an empty barrel once we drank it. Putting a new offering in and sending it off is the customary thing to do.”**

Ell hummed at Robin’s comment, noting that the Sunny’s melody was still joyous. She momentarily wondered if the Sunny could warn her of danger with his melody and as she was about to push that thought away, Sunny pipped up.

_ I sure can, but I will most likely tell you more than sing it to you since I’m made of Adam’s wood. _

Ell nodded at that and watched as Luffy started to open the barrel. Suddenly, something went flying in the air and Ell gaped at the projectile. She had only mere seconds before she could cover her eyes as the projectile exploded in the sky.

It created a huge explosion of light, making everyone groan at the discomfort it was giving them. The red light disappeared quickly, and an ominous feeling started to fill Ell’s gut.

**“A flare.”**

Ell looked in Robin’s direction and noted her worried expression. While Zoro tried to play it off, she was looking at it in different angles.

**“No problem if it’s just a prank, but …”**

Robin trailed off, and Ell knew what she wanted to tell afterward.

**“The signal might be used to targeting us, is that where you wanted to end? That this flare could have warned someone that we are here?”**

Robin nodded in Ell’s direction, making her tense. She quickly inspected the barrel once again as she heard Chopper explain that he doesn’t see anything. Ell looked up from her inspection as she heard Nami shout at everyone to go to their post.

Ell’s eyes widened as she quickly helped to pull down the sails. The storm came exactly five minutes later, and seconds into the storm, everyone was already wet. She heard Nami start to panic, but Franky quickly reassured her.

As Usopp took out the Paddles, Ell helped Nami and Robin with what needed to be done. Quickly, they escaped the storm, finding themselves in a very dark place.

Ell frowned as she looked up, listening to what the others had to say about this place.

**“This area is the famous ‘Florian Triangle’. The mysterious sea where everything disappears shrouded in the unknown.”**

Ell felt her heartbeat start to quicken as she felt the mystery start to surround them. It was unnerving her, the mystery surrounding these seas, but she pushed that nervousness away, concentrating on her crewmates instead.

Suddenly, music started to surround them, and Ell’s head snapped up. She was used to hearing a soft melody in the background, but this one was more human than the one the wood was giving off. It came from someone. And as she looked around and saw everyone’s either tense or fearful expression, she knew that they heard it as well.

**“Yohohoho ~~.”**

Ell gaped as her eyes landed on the enormous ship behind them. She had an inkling feeling that this ship had something to do with the ghost ship sightings that had been done here, but who – or what – could live on a deserted ship without food?

**“GHOST SHIP!!”**

Ell couldn’t decide whether she wanted to scream in surprise with her crew or to laugh at their reaction, since, on the one hand, it was spooking as hell to see a ship in such a desolate state and on the other hand, it was amusing how frightened her crewmembers seemed to be at its appearance.

She heard Robin wonder if someone was wandering on the ship, while Zoro threatened to cut him down if he ended up being an enemy. Sanji looked at the figure solemnly, his eyes slightly narrowed at the sight of it.

**“Yohohoho ~.”**

Ell narrowed her eyes as well as the figure, a cold chill running down her spine as she remembered the song that the figure was singing.

**“ … Go and deliver … “**

_He’s singing a famous pirate song from over 50 years ago._ , Ell frowned at that, and she felt her breath freeze in her throat as she caught sight of who was standing up on the railing, a cup of tea in his hand.

**“Brink’s brew …”**

Ell let out a shaky breath as she leaned against the mast, her mind still trying to take in what had just happened. She briefly looked to her right to see that everyone had a similar reaction to hers.

**“That was a goddamn skeleton … you all saw that, right?”**

Ell questioned quietly, her eyes following the ship that continued its trajectory past the Sunny as if they hadn’t just met. She was briefly amazed by the sturdiness of the ship because with how it looked, it must have gone through hell and back.

_ It has. The ship has been wandering in the Florian Triangle for over 50 years.  _

Ell jumped at the sound of the Sunny’s voice, and she breathed out an unnerved breath as she watched Luffy, Sanji and Nami take a small boat and follow the destroyed boat.

 _Your timing was very bad, Sunny._ , Ell grumbled back to the ship, gaining a chuckle in responses. Suddenly, the Sunny’s words finally registered in her mind. _50 YEARS?!_

_ Yes, those aboard this ship took off even before Gol D. Roger did. _

_I’m not going to question the amount of knowledge you seem to have …_ , Ell thought as she watched her crewmembers, mainly Usopp and Chopper, tremble in fright of what was standing before them.

 _And that skeleton was on it the whole time?_ , She questioned the ship, but a quiet hum was her answer. She frowned at that, her mind reeling with all the information that was presented to her. Before she knew it, her notebook and her trusty pen were in her hands, her eyes snapping towards the wood that was retreating into the ship.

She smiled at that, knowing that the Sunny had given her what she needed and she started jotting down her thoughts. As she was done, she placed it onto the floor and watched with fascination as it disappeared in the deck.

Ell heard someone yell angrily at someone else and if she had to take a wild guess, she would have said that Nami was angered once again. Not long after the outburst, the ghost ship stopped, and the Sunny stopped beside it.

Ell frowned as she saw her Captain, their cook and navigator climb down the huge boat wall followed by the skeleton.

**“YOHOHOHO! A cheerful greeting! My name is ‘Deadbones’ Brook! Nice to meet you!”**

Ell waited patiently for the skeleton – _Brook_ – to introduce himself. She absentmindedly noted that Usopp had changed his attire and that he and Chopper were now wearing a huge cross around their neck.

She had to admit that Brook did look like something taken out of a nightmare, but she found that their reaction was slightly over the top. Sure, he was a skeleton, but who never saw a talking skeleton in their lives? _Okay, that sounded wrong, even in my own head._ , Ell thought grimly.

**“Hello everyone! How do you do? Seems like my ship and I caused you some trouble!”**

While the majority of the crew that hadn’t gone on the bigger ship – Brook’s ship – screamed their disbelief towards the skeleton, Ell chuckled softly. She kind of liked him already, and she hoped that Luffy was curious enough to have him join them.

 _For once that I actually want Luffy to work his magic with his presence._ , Ell mused and shook her head at her own thought. The Sunny agreed with her with a cheerful melody, making the blue-haired woman smile.

Ell shook her head as both Usopp and Chopper tried to make Brook disappear and she suddenly felt a chill go down her spine. She shuddered and put her jacket tighter around her upper body, sighing in relief at the heat.

**“Oh, hello young lady! Could you let me see your panties?”**

Ell’s head snapped in the skeleton's direction, and she narrowed her eyes at the older man. She was pitying him a little bit with all those years of loneliness that he had gone through, but she didn’t like how perverted he was.

Shaking her head, she ignored how Zoro was making a whole fuss about Brook being on this ship. She heard him scold both Nami and Sanji, but she knew that Luffy was not going to let Brook leave now that he was on their ship.

And that was how they all found themselves being in the kitchen, Sanji cooking something, while Luffy, Zoro, Robin, Nami and Ell sat at the table, surrounding Brook. Franky was sitting at the bar of the kitchen and Usopp, and Chopper were still quivering messes.

The two of them were trying to be as far away as possible from the skeleton, but Ell knew that they just needed some time getting used to their new addition.

**“But it would be nice if we could start eating. It’s been decades since I’ve had a proper meal … every day, I’ve been living with this pain as though the skin of my belly and my back were stuck together.”**

Ell tilted her head to the side as the skeleton laughed loudly.

**“But of course, I don’t have skin on my belly or on my back! YOHOHOHO! Skull-joke!”**

Ell couldn’t stop the small chuckle that left her lips, and she shrugged innocently when Nami glared at her. Brook continued talking, and she noticed that he was the only one with Luffy who were making any kinds of noises.

The rest of the crew was watching their Captain interact with their new addition suspiciously and not so happily. _Maybe it’s because they weren’t asked? Or because Luffy’s spontaneity is getting on their nerves?_ , Ell mused as she sipped on her drink once again.

**“YOU TWO DON’T EVEN KNOW EACH OTHER!”**

Ell snapped out of her musing as she heard Zoro snap at Luffy incredulously. Ell laughed softly at that, smiling as she noticed Brook’s aura shine with joy. She shook her head and dived into her food, noticing that Usopp and Chopper finally decided to join them on their table, much like Franky.

**“Yomi-Yomi no Mi?”**

Ell narrowed her eyes at that and slurped on her drink before speaking up. She had done a lot of researches on her Devil Fruit and other Devil Fruits for getting a better understanding of their function, and she had heard about that specific fruit somewhere already.

**“Isn’t that the fruit that grants you another life after you died?”**

She questioned the skeleton, making his attention finally land on her. Through the whole dinner, she had been quiet and had watched the whole crew interact with him, and this was the first time that she had talked to him directly.

**“Yes. I was promised a second life as a ‘revived human’. Oh, how wonderful that ability had sounded.”**

Ell frowned at the wistful and sad tone that his voice had taken and at the fact that he had used the past tense. She tilted her head and listened to the rest of Brook’s story.

**“I was a pirate in those old days. On the ship you saw earlier, I came to this Devil’s Sea with my comrades.”**

Brook burped two times at the start of his narration and Ell rolled her eyes at his manners. _Old days pirates aren’t that different from the modern ones …_ , Ell thought as she propped her head onto her hand and had her attention solely on Brook and his story.

**“Unluckily we happened to engage with some frighteningly strong fellow, and my entire crew was annihilated. Of course, I also died at that time! When I was alive, the only ability my Devil Fruit gave me was the inability to swim.”**

Ell suddenly had a feeling of déjà-vu when she stared at Brook, and she rocketed through her memory trying to pinpoint the reason for such a feeling.

**“That day, at last, the fruit’s ability was activated. My soul returned from the underworld, and I wasn’t able to immediately return to me because of the thick fog that was surrounding this area. So I got lost.”**

Ell frowned as she half-listened to Brook telling them his past and half-tried to remember why she thought that Brook looked familiar. _Maybe from a bounty?_ , she wondered as Brook continued.

**“My soul wandered around in this frog for an entire year before I finally found my body. I was utterly surprised since I didn’t even have eyeballs anymore. Yohohoho!”**

Ell smiled at Brook’s joke, chuckling as some of her crew rolled their eyes at it.

**“You’re just as stupid as Zoro, aren’t you?”**

Ell flat out laughed at Luffy’s comment, clutching her stomach as Zoro weakly protested. She felt Zoro glare at her, but she ignored him as she tried to calm down so that she could continue to listen to their conversation.

Franky seemed happy to understand how Brook was a skeleton, but Usopp was still as adamant as ever that the new addition was a ghost. Brook tried to reason with him, telling him that he hated ghosts as well, but Usopp seemed to ignore that bit of information.

**“If I see one, I will scream.”**

Nami looked at the skeleton with an incredulous expression as she took out a mirror and pointed it in his direction, asking him if he had seen himself in a mirror. Ell chuckled at the animated atmosphere that started to fill the kitchen.

 _The fact that I can’t remember why he seems so familiar still bugs the hell out of me …_ , she thought, frustrated that she wasn’t able to remember.

**“You’re not … reflected in the mirror?!”**

Everyone tensed at that, Ell narrowing her eyes at the skeleton. She had a feeling that there was more to the fact that he wasn’t able to see himself.

**“AND LOOK! He doesn’t have a shadow either!”**

Ell frowned as she noticed Usopp, Chopper, and Sanji make a huge scene at the discovery, while Zoro observed Brook. Nami was becoming a quivering mess, and Robin was still as impassive as she ever was. Ell nudged her, and one look at her told her enough.

 _She was waiting for the good moment to talk. Watching … she reminds me of a predator_ ; Ell thought and let her eyes wander around the room. Brook was one of the only ones who was still calm, including only Robin, Franky and herself.

He calmly explained that him being a skeleton and losing his shadow were two very different things, unconsciously admitting that Ell’s feeling had been right. _That sounds like someone I have read off before …_ ; she pondered as Brook said that his shadow had been snatched away.

**“Gecko Moriah ...“**

Everyone’s attention snapped towards the information gatherer, making Ell look up with wide eyes. Confusion swirled in her grey orbs, as they all waited for her to continue and explain why she had uttered those words.

**“Oh … Uhm, the way Brook explained it, that his shadow had been snatched away made me remember one of the Seven Warlords of the sea, Gecko Moriah … he ate the Kage-Kage no mi, which allows him to manipulate shadows and such …”**

Brook nodded at her words, but he seemed not to recognize the name. Robin, on the other hand, knew exactly who she was talking about and by the looks of it, she was not happy to have made that discovery either.

 _He must not be able to put a face to the name._ , the Sunny informed her and Ell nodded at his analogy. While Ell was busy talking with the ship, Brook continued his story and explained that he could not exist in light because of his missing shadow.

He had seen someone he had met somewhere disappear in the light. He then went on and joyfully explained that he had been so lonely and so afraid alone in the see. After that, he happily told them that meeting them had been the highlight of his day.

**“You invited me to be your Nakama! I’m really glad. Thank you very much.”**

Ell’s snapped out of her very heated discussion with the Sunny, who huffed in irritation before going back to his humming self, as Brook uttered those words. _Humming? Why does that sound familiar too?! Argh, not knowing or remembering is the worst kind of possible torture!!_ , Ell growled in her mind as she waited for Brook to continue.

**“But the truth is, I should decline.”**

Everyone quietly waited for their captain to react and Ell knew for a fact that Luffy would not accept his leave. Like he had done to everyone else.

**“Earlier, I told you that my shadow was stolen. My body cannot live in the sun. Right now, I’m protected because of the fog. I have to get my shadow back if I want to get out of this Devil’s Sea. Until then, I will wait for a miracle. Yohohoho.”**

Ell tilted her head to the side as Luffy told Brook to tell him who took his shadow, totally forgetting that Ell had already told him who could have done it. _I haven’t heard a lot of good from Moriah though … Mainly because all his activities are hidden beneath the name of so-called ‘justice’ …_ , Ell admitted to herself.

Brook simply told them that he wouldn’t tell them and that Luffy shouldn’t be so quick to say that he would die for someone that he just met. The skeleton simply evaded the question by saying that he would sign a song to them and that was when Ell felt an ominous presence aboard the ship.

Her head snapped towards the entrance where she saw a … ghost of some sort appear out of nowhere. She tensed and was about to warn her crew when Brook shrieked in fright rather loudly. Ell winced at the loudness of the shriek and glared at the skeleton before shifting her attention to the ghost.

She was going to cage it in the wood, but before she could do that, the ghost disappeared, and the whole ship started to vibrate. Everyone started to freak out, and Ell followed them out, only to see that they were surrounded by a huge island.

**“This is the ‘ghost island’ that wanders through the sea … ‘THRILLER BARK’!”**


	23. Thiller Bark isn't for the weak?

**“You want to go too?!”**

Ell chuckled as she saw Luffy’s facial expression and she knew that no matter what, the crew wouldn’t be able to stop their Captain.

After Brook had informed them that this island was Thriller Bark, where Moriah was supposedly residing, Luffy had swiftly jumped onto the Sunny’s head.

Brook had told them that they should try to escape from the island and Nami, Chopper and Usopp would most likely have followed his advice, but Luffy had decided that he wanted to get on that island. After Chopper, Nami and Usopp made a whole scene, stating that they did not want to go on the island, Robin had explained that they were encaged into the Island.

Ell wanted nothing more than to finally get on the island since she had heard so much about it and some rumors would be worth a lot if she was able to clear them up. She momentarily wondered if she could get Nami to go on the island with her if she told her that money could come out, buts he immediately pushed that thought away and concentrated on her crew instead.

Ell watched with amusement as Luffy demanded his Pirate Bento from Sanji, who simply told him and Franky to protect Robin at all cost.

**“And what about you, Ell-chwan?”**

The cook asked her, swirling around her. Ell simply chuckled and explained that she would most probably go her own way because she had some rumors to clear up. She smiled and jumped onto the railing, ready to jump onto the island, when Franky stopped her.

**“Ell, wait up! I have some super cool presents to show you! OW!”**

Ell nodded and jumped back off the railing, waiting for Franky to finish explaining the different docks on the Sunny, the mother ship and then show them his presents.

_Now that I think about it, I always assumed that you were a he, Sunny … but you most likely don’t have any gender, do you?_ , Ell asked the Sunny slowly, part of her attention still on Franky who was boasting about the Mini Merry II.

_Indeed. I don’t really have a gender, so don’t worry, Ell._ , the Sunny told her and she smiled. She nodded and turned around slightly to see that Nami, Chopper and Usopp had boarded the Mini Merry II and that Franky was looking at her with a surprising amount of seriousness.

**“Ell, you have the Ki-Ki no mi, right?”**

Ell nodded slowly at that and her eyes widened when she saw him stretch his arm and open his palm. While Nami, Chopper, and Usopp had most of the crew’s attention, only Zoro and Robin noticed as Franky gave their information gatherer a piece of wood.

**“That’s …”**

Ell trailed off as she felt her eyes start to water at the pricey gift Franky had just given her.

**“Raw Adam’s wood, indeed. I remembered that you were manipulating wood back on Enies Lobby and your reaction when I started talking about it had given me some clues about you being able to understand it and manipulate it.”**

Ell smiled brightly up at Franky and thanked him. She hadn’t realized that the man had been so aware of where her abilities were standing, but she was grateful for it. She cradled in her hands, before quickly putting it with the small triangle on her necklace and heard the Sunny start to hum louder.

His voice was clearer now, less shrouded in mist like before. She smiled brightly at that, and she was about to thank Franky again when she heard Sanji wonder as to where Nami was. _Have you forgotten about Usopp and Chopper, Sanji?_ , Ell thought amusedly as she walked towards the cook. She sent a grateful nod in Franky’s direction, and Franky responded with a thumbs up.

Her facial expression quickly hardened when she noticed that they were surrounded by a very thick fog. A shrill scream made her tense, and she quickly opened her mind to try and see what is happening around her.

As she did so, she felt someone on the ship, but as she looked around, she saw no one that wasn’t her crew. A frown appeared on her lips as she moved towards the center of the ship and looked around once again.

_Invisibility …_

Ell stilled as she heard the Sunny pinpoint the location of their invisible intruder. She glared in that direction as she ran towards the intruder. Her eyes were still closed as she let the hum of the Sunny and her mind open to feel the infiltrator. She quickly kicked him away from Luffy, who had his cheeks pinched by the trespasser.

**“There is an invisible intruder on board.”**

Ell growled loudly, making everyone tense. Her eyes were still closed and she ‘saw’ him where he was. The Sunny’s melody had transformed into a more hostile tone and she knew that if any one heard it, they would have peed their pants and would be shaking in fear. Well, Chopper and Usopp at least, and maybe the invader as well, but the rest of the crew would simply be shaken.

**“I-invisible?”**

Franky was the one who spoke first, but before Ell could answer, Sanji exclaimed quickly that he would go search for Nami. He had heard her scream and wanted to help her, but as he jumped, the invisible intruder held onto his legs, making the cook faceplant with the side of the Sunny. Ell growled at that and took out her dagger, but before she could help Sanji, the cook had been thrown past her.

Ell frowned and quickly closed her eyes once again, opening her mind once more. She ignored her crewmates aura and tried to concentrate on solely the intruder's.

Ell nodded in Franky’s direction to thank him for helping Sanji up as they all looked around carefully. Suddenly, Ell threw her dagger in Robin’s direction, making everyone gasp at her dangerous action. Ell didn’t let their surprise stop her as she quickly ran towards their archeologist and stood before the taller woman.

Abruptly, Ell was squeezed against a hard surface and a small yelp escaped her lips, as she furrowed her brows. She cringed when she felt something akin to a tongue roam over her upper body. She knew that Robin could hardly help in a situation like this because she required visibility to know where she should let her arms sprout.

She gagged when she felt something run down her new clothes and anger soon filled her senses. Before the intruder could react, the Sunny’s wood surrounded him and caged him, making Ell let out a relieved sigh as she fell onto her knees. Ell gagged once again at the feeling of wet clothes clinging to her skin, hating it.

**“Ell, are you okay?” “ELL-CHWAN! Are you okay, mademoiselle?”**

Robin and Sanji inquired Ell worriedly, the cook looming over her. Ell nodded and as she glared up at the cage, she slowly stood up. She slowly moved her eyes to her humid clothes and glared at them too before looking back up. She noticed that everyone was looking at her curiously and she raised an eyebrow in question.

**“What’s up?”**

Ell asked slowly, her eyes wandering from one crewmate to the other. She saw Zoro step forward and Ell tilted her head to the side slightly as she heard him question her.

**“How did you know that there was an intruder here?”**

Before she could answer, the Sunny’s melody suddenly spiked up and she tensed at that.

_Don’t tell them … they are not ready to know._

Ell gritted her teeth together as she looked the first mate in the eyes. She made sure that her face was void of any sign that she may be lying as she took on an easy smile.

**“I think I told you once that I could hear the trees’ melody as well as the wood’s, right?”**

Everyone nodded.

**“Well, the Sunny can warn me of danger since he is made of Adam’s wood. He felt the presence of the intruder and led me to him.”**

Everyone’s eyes went wide as Luffy quickly sprinted in front of Ell and held her tightly in his arms. He had a huge grin on his face as he jumped up and down with Ell in his arms. Ell grunted at that, wondering what went over her Captain, when she was suddenly put on her feet again and held at arms distance.

**“YOU CAN HEAR THE SUNNY?!”**

Ell frowned and nodded, confused at her crewmates excited expressions. She tilted her head slightly to the side when she answered her Captain.

**“Haven’t I told … you … about … it … already?”**

Ell trailed off her eyes going wide as she couldn’t remember one time where she told them that she could hear the Sunny. She had talked about the Merry Going being unable to sail anymore with Sanji and Zoro, but never did she admit out loud that there was some sort of connection between her and the ship.

**“No, you haven’t, Ell-chan. In retrospect, we should have been able to connect the dots on our own with all the hints you had given us about your power and Devil Fruit.”**

Ell nodded slowly, but Luffy quickly lost interest in the discussion and beckoned everyone to come with him and look around the island. Ell chuckled at that and quickly ran towards her room, taking all of her necessities with her.

She didn’t trust the invaders not to look around and try to steal everything of value. Her information and her story of their adventures so far weren’t something that she was willing to risk getting taken from her.

**“Luffy, I’m going to look around the island on my own. See ya soon.”**

The rest of the crew nodded and Ell left the ship, jumping from one branch to another, listening to the surrounding sounds. She frowned when she noticed that she had a hard time understanding the trees melody, a rare thing that shouldn’t happen to her with such lowly classed trees.

_Something feels very wrong with this forest …_ , Ell frowned as she jumped off another branch and quietened her steps, listening to her surroundings. She warily made her way through the forest, opening her mind to see farther beyond her, when she felt two firm presences and a more ghostly one.

**“That was close …”**

Ell frowned at that, hiding behind a tree, trying to pinpoint where the voice was coming from. The presence was similar to the intruder on the ship and she suddenly remembered that she had forgotten about him totally. She cursed in her head with all the words she could find and hid farther into the tree.

**“Hey! Absalom! I know you’re there. What was that commotion?! Were you in the bathing area again?!”**

Ell stilled at the voice, sounding familiar for some reason. The melody turned sour as it reflected her mood, making Ell grow restless.

**“Hogback … I’m searching for a bride and I’m interested in that girl! I’m going to make her mine!”**

_What about asking that woman if she wants to be yours, you sexist prick?!_ , Ell mentally berated the invisible foe, her forehead creasing with anger and worry.

**“She’s got a bounty on her head; I won’t give her to you.”**

Ell tensed at that and she had a feeling that they were talking about Nami.

**“We’ve got seven bounty heads on that ship. One of them exceeds 100 million and another one is over 250 million and only wanted dead. The Captain is 300 million!”**

Ell winced as they discussed her crew’s bounties, but there was something interesting in the way that they were talking about them. It was as if they were simply playing with objects for their own amusement and not with living beings.

_I knew there was a reason why I hated Moriah and his crew … they are such creeps …_ , Ell thought angrily and shivered as she heard them talk about not underestimating the Captain and herself.

**“If you know that, then use all of your powers to capture the prey, Absalom, Perona … it looks like we’re in for a big job tonight!”**

Ell used the surrounding woods to hide better at those words. She knew that there was no way that she could contact her crew because they all had no snail transponder and she was the only one in possession of such a device.

She quietly cursed out her thoughtlessness and quickly jumped away, not wanting to face those heartless monsters. _They are the reason why I hate pirates in the first place …_

Ell stopped sharply when Nami, Usopp and Chopper’s frantic presences appeared in her mind and she frowned when she tried to pinpoint their location. They were somewhere inside of the mansion and she had a terrible feeling about that place.

She quickly checked if they needed help, but they were safe for now, so she decided to see if she could find her other crewmates. It would be good if they could reunite because from what she understood right now, the likelihood that they were on Gecko Moriah’s island grew the longer they were here.

_I just hope that they figured that out too …_ , Ell hoped, quickly running towards her friends. While running, she moved her coat out of her backpack, putting it over her shoulders and promptly putting the cape over her head.

This would be able to hide her from all those men that would be able to recognize her and reach her crewmates faster. She felt them in the back of her mind and, dodged every tree and zombie that she crossed, either by slashing through them or by quickly sidestepping them.

_Wait .. ZOMBIES ?!_ , Ell thought frantically, stopping where she was running, slamming into a zombie by accident. She frowned at that and waited for that … zombie? To finally register the fact that he had slammed into her.

**“HOW DARE YOU DISRESPECT A ZOMBIE?!”**

It roared angrily, making Ell punch it and kick it before he could utter another protest. She was not ready to listen to him complain about her being too violent with him. She snorted at his appearance before running once again, searching her nakamas.

**“ALL RIGHT! Let’s go to the Haunted House!”**

Ell frowned and ran in the direction the voice came from. It was familiar and she recognized it easily. After all, Luffy’s voice was not so easily forgotten. She sprinted in his direction and called out for them to wait for her.

She saw them still at her call and she smiled slightly. She knew that they noticed it was her even with her cape that hid her from view.

**“ELL-CHWAN! YOU’RE BACK, MY BEAUTIFUL MAIDEN!”**

Ell rolled her eyes at Sanji’s overjoyed call as she stopped beside Robin, who wasn’t as relaxed as the rest of the crew. She frowned at that, but decided not to comment on it as she took off the hood of her cape, but let the rest of the cloth hide her weapons and body.

**“What are you going to do? Nami, Usopp, and Chopper are in that mansion. Last time I checked, they were fine, but that could have changed since I heard them.”**

Zoro narrowed his eyes at the blue-haired woman, while Franky simply nodded. Luffy quickly moved his attention to the broken door and she shook her head at that. Robin nodded slowly and Sanji remained silent.

**“Isn’t there anyone?! GECKO MORIAH!”**

Ell cringed as she heard Luffy call out the warlock and she quickly made eye-contact with Robin, who confirmed her suspicion. _So this was Moriah’s island after all …_ , she thought as she heard the two piece of wood that she had around her neck hum dangerously loudly.

Ell frowned as that, using her right hand to lift them out of under her cape. Her frown deepened when the piece of Adam’s wood started to vibrate in her hand and she could only deduct one thing from this bizarre reaction.

**“We are in danger …”**

Ell mumbled lowly, tuning out the discussion that was happening around her, her attention on their actions more than on their words. As she muttered that sentence, a flock of strange creatures appeared out of nowhere and had obviously malicious intention towards them.

Ell gave them little of her attention as she used the surrounding wood to create a small army of hands and make them take care of those strange beings. She absentmindedly noted that everyone was taking care of them the same way that she was. Without giving them much of their attention.

**“The curly brow cook is gone.”**

Ell snapped out of her daze as she heard Zoro utter those words and she tensed. She tried to sense his position, but she could hardly feel him somewhere, which made her frown. She heard some of the creatures snicker, as well as the swine and that made her even more suspicious of what was happening around her.

She neared Luffy as she heard some of the creatures tell them that their friends weren’t going to survive the hunt that was being orchestrated, which made Ell snort loudly. She had faith in her friends and she knew that they could take care of a lot of low fry like them.

The creatures sweatdropped at her reaction and Luffy had a similar response.

**“You’re noisy with all your mumbling, go tell that Moriah moron that …”**

As Luffy spoke up, the creatures squeaked in fear and she snickered at that, which made them squeal once again. Smiling widely, she leaned against the back of her feet, her smile slowly turning malicious.

**“If anything happens to one of my Nakama, I’ll blow you off this island!!”**

Ell laughed loudly at his admission, relishing in the creatures shocked expressions. She smiled darkly as they walked up, her good mood going down the well once and for all. If asked later about it, she would simply state that the island’s atmosphere was at fault.

–

**“Spit it out! Something happened again, right, Buhi?!”**

Ell tilted her head to the side, wondering if the pig wouldn’t mind her tearing through him. As if sensing her dark thoughts, the pig sweated and made a sound that resembled a lot to a dog whining.  Robin wondered why there weren’t any more voices and Ell just shook her head at that ominous thought that was filling the older woman’s mind.

**“This is weird … Zoro disappeared too!”**

Ell froze at Luffy’s question, her mind going through the last minutes, trying to pinpoint the moment where she hadn’t felt him around them anymore. She frowned and felt her irritation slowly rise to a dangerous level.

**“LOOK ELL! I found an armor!”**

Ell didn’t move as Luffy called after her and she simply threw him a glance before looking back towards the front, standing before the pig. As the pig sniggered again, her eyes moved to him and a dangerously malicious aura started to surround her and the pig. Her hair moved as to hide her facial expression, making her seem even more dangerous.

The pig sweated and squeaked at her ominous aura and her eyes suddenly shone dangerously with a promise of pain if things didn’t start making sense.

**“Piggy, I would suggest you finally spit what is happening around us, or you might find yourself in a predicament you wish you never entered.”**

The pig squeaked again and was about to blurt what he was hiding when Franky was suddenly attacked out of nowhere. Ell stilled and used the wood of the arena to create a hand and take the swine’s tail in it.

She made the hand squeeze painfully hard, making the creature squeak like a tortured pig – _Which was precisely what he was going to go through if he doesn't answer my goddamn questions_ , _Ell thought angrily_ – and try to free himself from the wooden hand.

Ell stood over the pig as she watched Franky dodge and punch the zombie, but he always came back up over and over again. She frowned at that and wondered if those zombies could possibly have a weakness. As she asked Robin, the taller woman simply replied with the word ‘fire’.

Franky blasted the armored zombie with his weapon on the left and Ell unconsciously winced as she saw that he hit the armored zombie’s head, imagining her head in his place. Franky used his left arm as a shield as the zombie came back with his weapon and as the zombie passed through him, she saw him flinch slightly.

**“I won’t be beaten by such a corpse!”**

Ell watched Franky launch the zombie into the ground and slowly let her eyes wander towards the pig, who had been too quiet for her liking. As the pig noticed her eyes on him, he squeaked again, but as he heard Franky admit that the zombie he had been fighting was different, he laughed loudly.

**“YOU SHOULD HAVE REALIZED IT BY NOW! THAT’S THE TERROR OF A REAL ZOMBIE, EVEN IF HE HAS HIS FAULTS! HE DOESN’T FEEL PAIN AT ALL! THE ARMORED GENERAL ZOMBIES ARE FIRM WARRIORS WHO EACH HAD A NAME WHILE THEY WERE ALIVE! BUHI!”**

Ell stilled and looked down at the pig, ignoring the way that Luffy was furrowing his brows at what the pig was saying and how Franky and Robin were standing just a little bit straighter.

**“THE LEADER OF THE KNIGHTS OF SOME KINGDOM, A BRUTAL CRIMINAL, A LEGENDARY SAMURAI! A PIRATE! A MARTIAL ARTIST! THINK ABOUT THOSE GUYS BECOMING IMMORTAL!! THERE IS NOW WAY FOR YOU TO WIN!! BUHIHIHIHI!”**

Ell was ready to stomp the pig’s tail, but Luffy lifted his hand, signaling her to let him speak. She furrowed her eyebrows at that but reluctantly followed his command.

**“NONE OF YOUR CREWMATES ARE SAFE! YOU’RE GONNA REGRET THIS!!”**


	24. Attacking Zombies and Seething Anger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo guys, how are you doing? I'M FINALLY BACK FROM THE DEAD!
> 
> Just Kidding! I had just a very busy holiday and no time to work on my fanfiction, which is the reason why there were no updates for two weeks. 
> 
> I will try to continue to update once a weak, or at least regularly, but I will see how that goes with school and many other things that will happen in the next few weeks.
> 
> Either way, I know you are most likely here for the story and not my rambling, so I wish you a happy new year and enjoy the new chapter!
> 
> See ya!

She was ready to murder the pig, no matter what Luffy told her to do – _or not, in that matter._ She used her wooden hand and slammed the pig against the wall, slowly stalking towards the whimpering mess.

**“WALL ZOMBIE!”**

As soon as the pig called out his friend, a wall slammed in front of her and she quickly jumped backward. Ell growled loudly and glared at the mischievous looking wall, feeling her anger and bloodlust raise within her.

**“A mere wall will not stop me from skinning you alive, Piggy.”**

A scared squeak resonated behind the wall, but her attention was quickly stolen by the armored zombies that came after her. She swiftly used the small amount of Adam’s wood that she had around her neck and used his second form.

 **_“ 2ndForm: Trojan Triangles. _ ** **You will regret making me angry, you stupid, brainless, fucking zombies.”**

Ell snarled out, driving the triangles into the different zombies, forcing them to move backward instead of forward. However, since they couldn’t feel any kind of pain, she would have to damage them permanently, or they would solely come back. She gritted her teeth together as the triangles weren’t enough to move the zombies out of her way.

**_“ 3rdForm: Horde of Weapons.”_ **

She bit onto her tongue, feeling the amount of energy this form was taking from her body. She shook her head and used those weapons to either decapitate them or push them away from her. She followed after Franky and Robin, not wanting to be in zombies’ vicinity again.

They panted heavily as they fled out of the huge arena, and as Ell heard Robin wonder about where Luffy was, she had a feeling that none of them were going to like the answer, no matter what.

**“It seems like he’s not out yet. Even if you go back, you won’t find him because that moron is also wearing an armor.”**

Ell nodded at that, cursing her Captain’s idiocy out in her mind. They all turned around as Franky called out for Luffy and Robin informed them that they couldn’t remain here any longer because the zombies could easily catch up to them.

Suddenly, a chain that nobody had noticed before, started to move and everyone’s attention was grabbed by it. Ell frowned when she heard Luffy’s voice come from a coffin that was being transported towards the other end of the hall.

She noticed that the same white sticky substance that had stopped their ship from moving further away was surrounding the coffin. She glared at it and ran towards the coffin as fast as she could, ignoring Franky’s order to go after him.

Of course, like always when Ell wanted to do something, someone or something came in between her and her goal. She glared at the huge spider, ignoring its strange shape.

**“HEY! HEY! _MON_ KEY, MON _KEY_ , MONKEY! HAHAHA, the rumored spider monkey is me!”**

Ell cringed as she finally took in its appearance, wanting to get Luffy back. As if knowing what they wanted to do, the spider monkey cackled loudly, making both Franky and Ell stand in a more defensive position.

**“Rest assured that whatever we do with him, you will experience it as well, so you better worry about yourself first. From the front you have me and from behind you have the armored warriors! With this, YOUR CREW IS FINISHED!!!”**

Ell glared at the spider, hating it for underestimating her and her crew. Her surrounding suddenly turned cold and she felt both Franky and Robin flinch at the drop of temperature. She ignored them as she glared menacingly at the spider, who flinched under her gaze.

**“I don’t care what you think, you fucking asshole, but know that you shouldn’t underestimate our friends and crew, no matter what. It’s not game over as long as one is still standing.”**

The spider laughed nervously at her exclamation, and she shook her head. She slowly turned her head towards her friends, glaring at the zombies that were coming from behind them. She noticed that their step faltered ever so slightly as her eyes landed on their group, but they let nothing else show.

She tch’ed, but remained quiet otherwise, letting Franky get angry, and Robin calmly state that they were done for either way.

**“Hahaha! All your moves are being reported to Perona-sama’s ghost network.”**

_That has been the second time I heard about Perona. Who is that woman?_ , Ell grumbled in her mind as she slowly moved her hands beneath her coat, making sure not to make it obvious as she took her daggers, readying herself to fight.

**“This is what’s called ‘being plugged up from all sides’. We need an urgent counter plan, so … can both of you leave it to me?”**

Ell nodded, not in the mood to say anything, while Robin simply told him to do what he needed and that they will follow his lead. She rolled her eyes as she heard that Franky’s plan wasn’t reliable, but said nothing nonetheless. She knew that if she was to say anything, she would snap and all of her pent-up anger and frustration would flow out.

**“ _COUP DE VENT_ ”**

Ell felt them fall and as she saw Robin cross her arms, she quickly jumped onto the falling zombies and debris, not caring about what they had to say to each other. She didn’t wait for them to register her absence as she jumped from one falling zombie onto the remaining part of the bridge.

**“ _Cien Fleur! Wing!_ ”**

Ell raised an eyebrow as she saw Robin create a pair of wings out of her arms and she shook her head as she barely heard the woman tell Franky that she would be able to hold that form for 5 seconds maximum.

Sighing, she stretched her arm out, and strings of woods sprang out of nowhere, creating a platform beneath her two crewmates. She waited for them to arrive where she was standing before dismantling the bridge and transforming that wood into an array of weapons, knowing that the spider on the other side would soon reach them.

A faraway cry caught everyone’s attention and Ell leisurely looked up, only to see Brook fall from the sky. She rolled her eyes and quickly summoned a wooden hand and snatched the skeleton by his leg, not caring that everyone was staring at her.

She looked to the side to that Franky was gaping at her and Robin was looking at her with a frown. Ell simply stared back, not giving them any answer or questioning why they were looking at her in the first place.  

**“T-thank you, Miss Ell … may you let me go now?”**

Ell heard the skeleton ask her hesitantly and she nodded, letting go of him, making him fall onto the ground. A yelp escaped the skeleton as he landed and Ell shrugged as she noticed both Franky and Robin look at her weirdly.

The spider took that moment to create a huge web of sticky substance. Ell’s weapons immediately zoomed in on the spider/monkey Zombie, leaving it no chance to escape it. She heard Franky ask them to buy him some time, but Ell let Robin take care of the discussion prospect.

**“ARGH! ALRIGHT!! _SPIDER STICKY NET!_ ”**

Ell groaned as she saw him send the sticky substance their way and she had already created a wall with her weapons when she saw Robin cross her arms and attack the spider. She raised an eyebrow as she saw tiny arms appear around the monkey’s eyes and she winced when the spider went to slap them away, redirecting his attack on himself.

 _I wonder if getting that sticky substance in his eyes hurts …_ , Ell thought and jumped out of the way as Franky attacked the gigantic spider. While Franky was fighting the spider, Ell turned her back towards them and went back to where the pig zombie had stopped her from hurting him further.

**“Where are you going, Ell?”**

Robin’s voice stopped Ell in her tracks, and she looked backward, shrugging.

**“I want to find that piggy again. I have a lesson to teach him.”**

Ell stated her ambition coldly, and she was ready to go through with it, but a yelp made her still. Her head snapped in Robin’s direction, only to see that she had been captured by some mouse spiders. She gritted her teeth together as she noticed that some were quickly making their way towards her.

Ell exhaled deeply as she called forth all the weapons that she had created previously and she smirked when she heard the smaller spiders squeal in fear. She quickly threw a lance towards Robin to take her out of the sticky net, but a projectile stopped it from reaching her.

Ell quickly took out her daggers, and she was going to fight the monkey when she noticed that Brook was walking towards Robin.

He was humming some kind of melody and Ell felt her body relax. She frowned at her body’s reaction, but something told her that Brook had everything in control. She decided to follow her instincts, and she sheathed her daggers back into their case.

**“It’s fine; the end is already near.”**

Ell shuddered at the sentence, her frown still present. She watched with fascination as Brook took out a sword out of his cane, but sheathed it as quickly as he had unsheathed it.

**“ _Hanauta Sanchou … Yahazu Giri!_ ”**

Ell whistled as she saw blood flow out of the spider’s wounds and she relaxed when she felt the energy slowly leave the gigantic spider’s body. Franky seemed to be stressed and yelled at Brook to be careful, but the skeleton didn’t give his warnings any heed.

Ell raised an eyebrow at the spider’s obvious suffering and noticed that, unlike their attacks, which had simply injured the surface of the zombies’ body, inflicting no pain at all.

**“You … I’ve seen … you … somewhere … befooooore ….”**

Ell winced at the obvious amount of energy that the spider put behind the words, but narrowed her eyes at the zombie’s words. _He seems familiar for him too._ , Ell mused as she leaned all her weight on her left leg, recollecting all of her weapons and putting it back into his triangular shape. She let out a heavy sigh as she leaned down in front of Franky, who had been hit by that viscous stuff not so long ago.

**“Brook seems to have everything under control, cyborg. I don’t think we have to worry about him being beaten so easily.”**

Ell stated simply, her facial expression as neutral as she could muster when the fires of rage burned inside of her. Franky noticed the anger that was hidden beneath her carefully crafted mask but decided against pointing it out since he did not want to be the victim of it.

**“Even zombies have a weak point.”**

Brook explained softly, and Ell raised an eyebrow at that, wondering what he meant. _Physical force is obviously not what he meant. What could it be?_ , she wondered as she sat down in front of Franky, making no move to get him out of his restraints.

Suddenly, the zombie started to screech, making Ell flinch slightly. It was a tortured screech as if the very life was being sucked out of him and she would have felt pity if he hadn’t been so irritating before. And it seems that Ell wasn’t far away from the truth with her analogy, as they all realized that the black substance that was leaving from his mouth was actually his soul.

 _That must have been the shadow that Moriah had put in the spider-monkey body._ , Ell mused she stood up from her place in front of Franky, who looked at her weirdly. She shrugged the look away, not at all worried about what it could mean. She looked off into the distance, listening to the faraway sound of the waves and of the forest which was laughing and chanting, like humans who had just started to feast on a banquet.

**“If they were already captured, it’s most likely too late to save them.”**

Ell leisurely looked back and watched Franky’s nerve grow thinner by the minute, ready to murder the skeleton. She narrowed her eyes at Brook and shook her head at his obvious try to lessen the tension in the air. She looked back towards the front of Thriller Bark, where she knew the Thousand Sunny was, his melody faint, but calm.

That relieved Ell a lot as she knew that if anything happened to the ship, she wouldn’t be able to control her anger anymore and it would explode, most likely destroy the moving island as well. The trees often bend to her moods and reflected it with their music.

**“Wanting to escape the Florian Triangle at all cost, I wandered around the island, trying to find some rubbish to repair my ship. However, all I found was monsters and zombies.”**

Ell listened intently to Brook’s story, acutely aware of what was happening around them and knew that whatever he was going to tell them was not going to end well, for one person or the other.

**“Eventually, I was caught and brought to a laboratory with a dancer. They carried him off towards what they called his dead body and suddenly, a terrific giant appeared, scissors in hand. He tore the dancer’s shadow off his body, amputating it.”**

Brook made another skull joke, which actually made the corner of Ell’s mouth twitch slightly, but she quickly concentrated on what the kneeling skeleton was saying. She calmly eyed the two huge wounds on the skeleton’s head but said nothing as Franky raised an eyebrow at her look.

**“I had the same fate. The shadow was implanted into the unmoving corpse … and believe me or not, the corps started moving.”**

Ell could hear the astonishment in the skeleton’s voice, but she wasn’t. She had seen Moriah, once, from afar, with his giant scissors and she had heard from his Devil fruit in her small group. It was a beneficial power for someone like Moriah, who let the others do all the work for him. She felt her anger spike again, but she quickly squashed it away and concentrated on the three people in front of her.

**“He’s the king of the depths, Shichibukai Gecko Moriah. He has the power of the Kage-Kage no mi.”**

Ell sighed at that and slowly unsheathed her dagger, starting to play with it. She was kind of bored at the moment, and she needed something to occupy her hands as it was becoming tiring to do nothing at all, and just listen.

Brook continued to explain to them that Moriah has been doing that for years, with the help of Dr. Hogback and his clique. He explained that Moriah was doing it because the stronger the fighter, the stronger the zombie and that he was delighted to have people like the Strawhats arrive on his island.

Ell shot her dagger in the air nonchalantly, ignoring the exasperated look the cyborg was throwing her way. She had no urge to let him tell her what would be acceptable behavior in this scenario. After Brook was done explaining, Ell piped up, just to clarify that everyone is on the same page.

**“Zoro, Sanji, and Luffy were most likely already caught. Leaves only the three scaredy cats somewhere below and us, huh?”**

Both Franky and Robin nodded at that and Brook looked at them gravely.

**“Believe in me and follow what I do, I know the best way to proceed at the moment.”**

–

**“We’re returning to the ship?!”**

Ell sighed and picked up her dagger as it fell before her face, sheathing it back. She turned on her heel and started to look around for some sort of passageway to get back to the ship without having to use her Devil Fruit.

**“But don’t worry, your friends won’t die. Moriah needs them alive, as them dying would equal to the shadow dying as well. The will only try to ensure that the strongest fighters never come near the body which holds their shadow, thus giving them a chance to regain their shadow.”**

Ell nodded at that; it was a totally logical explanation as to why her Captain, cook and first mate aren’t in immediate danger. Well, they were, but not life endangering danger. That would have made the whole situation worse.

**“This is salt, the zombies’ proven weak point.”**

Ell was standing behind Franky when she snatched the small purse out of Franky’s big hands, making the cyborg tense up in surprise. Ell ignored him as she opened it and took a handful out, giving the rest back to Franky.

**“You could have asked, you know, informant. That would have been more polite.”**

Franky grumbled, and Ell ignored him, not wanting to start a fight with anyone right now.

**“Let’s go back to the ship like Brook said we should. There is nothing else for us here.”**

Ell started, but Robin interjected and questioned Brook about his knowledge on this zombie island. Ell was also interested in that story, but she had not really thought about it until Robin mentioned it. She let out a heavy sigh and crossed her arms over her chest, waiting patiently for Brook to reveal the reason for his knowledge.

**“When my shadow was taken 5 years ago, I tried to get it back. It had been a crushing defeat, and I was the only one left alive on my ship. I got depressed and ran away, wanting to die more than anything in the world. I had promised my nakamas that I would one day escape the Florian Triangle and this is why I came back to fight. I will beat that guy up and get my shadow back.”**

Ell raised an eyebrow at his explanation but decided to not comment on it. Franky, however, had something else in mind as he stopped Brook and asked him one last question before they all left to get back to the rest of the crew.


	25. Tragic Backstory and Counter-attack

**“WAAAAAAAH! OW! I’M NOT CRYING, YOU IDIOTS.”**

Ell rolled her eyes at Franky’s obvious tears and idiotic sentence. _Even a man was allowed to cry goddamnit._ ; she thought angrily as she ran alongside her two friends. However, a small laugh escaped her lips as she heard him declare that he loved that stupid skeleton.

 _I don’t think the crew will let you go, Brook. You hooked another one._ , Ell thought and shook her head as they both ran up, Robin chuckling wholeheartedly.

–

**“Usopp, Chopper, are you hurt?”**

Robin asked as Ell let small little wooden ants recollect all of the salt that they had used to purify the zombies. She heard Usopp and Chopper call their names happily, and she narrowed her eyes when she noticed that Nami was missing.

**“Where’s Nami?”**

Ell asked slowly as the ants crawled everywhere on her body, putting the salt into a small wooden box. Chopper and Usopp shivered in disgust at the sight of the little insects crawling around.

**“S-she was k-kidnapped by so-some pervert. KYAAA!”**

Usopp was the one to answer Ell, and he squeaked in fear as he felt the aura around her darken considerably. Robin put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and Ell simply narrowed her eyes at the dark-haired woman warningly.

**“That doggie zombie is dead when I see him again.”**

Ell stated simply, making both Usopp and Chopper squeak in fear. Ell ignored them and followed Frank who was already walking towards a massive stairway. She remained quiet, brooding silently as Robin and Franky explained what the stairs served for to their snipper and doctor.

**“They use this long staircase to transport those whose shadows were stolen. Luffy was most likely taken through here.”**

Ell tuned out their discussion, her eyes narrowed as she felt something – or rather someone – wake up, filling the whole island with their dominating aura. She gritted her teeth together, trying to understand what was happening at the moment, but she let out a harsh sigh as she realized that it would be better if their crew was reunited again.

That way, she could listen to every point of view and finally paint a bigger picture than what her sole experience could allow her. Suddenly, a colossal scream tore through the island, and she winced at the volume. Both Usopp and Chopper cringed as well.

**“That must most likely be Luffy’s zombie. That giant put Luffy’s shadow in an even bigger one, called Oz or something …”**

Ell nodded absentmindedly and started to run faster, wanting to get to the Sunny, whose melody was slowly starting to fill the area. She let a small smile twitch on her lips, but it immediately disappeared as she heard the ship’s melody darken considerably.

She tightened her hands into fists, wanting to finally let go of all that bubbling anger inside of her. Chopper let out a small squeak as he saw Ell’s expression darken and he moved slightly more towards Usopp, the cross dangling around his neck.

Ell noted that he had changed forms, but she ignored the rest of the crew as she jumped onto the ship, not leaving Robin, Franky, Usopp or Chopper any chance to stop her. She marked that they had followed her, but were quiet as if expecting her to explode onto them.

Ell grinned wolfishly at that. _No, when I explode, it will be against any of our enemies._ , she thought, images of what she plans to do to them flying in her mind. Usopp and Chopper took a step back at her malicious grin, while Franky was looking at her with wide eyes.

Robin ignored her and for that Ell was grateful. She let out a heavy sigh as she packed her bloodlust back in and moved towards the kitchen, where she had felt Sanji, Luffy, and Zoro. The remaining crew hesitantly followed their informant, and as she opened the door, she froze in her movements.

Her eyes were wide, her mouth open in her surprise and her hand twitched on the handle of the door. The four crewmembers slowly and hesitantly looked over her shoulder and sweatdropped at the sight before them.

Sanji, Luffy, and Zoro were propped up on a chair, decorated, most likely by the zombies and had different expressions on their face. In any other situation, Ell would have laughed her butt off. She would have even participated in that prank, but alas this was a grave situation.

Besides, they were sleeping. She seems not to have been the only one who was angered by the fact that their monster trio was sleeping, as Franky was the first one to react as he marched towards the three men.

**“OIIII! WAKE UP YOU JERKS! NO TIME FOR SLEEPING!! THIS IS A SERIOUS SITUATION!”**

Ell glared hotly at the three men lying on the floor, three fuming balls coming out of their head. She lifted her hand from under her cape, the wood already morphing into pairs of hands when a trembling hand landed on her shoulder.

**“Let me do it, Ell, and if it doesn’t work, you can slap them as much as you want.”**

It was Usopp, and he was smiling shakily in her direction. She didn’t let the hands go, but she nodded nonetheless, patting his shoulder to show him that she wasn’t mad at him. She waited behind the sniper and tilted her head to the side when she saw him inhale deeply.

**“A BEAUTIFUL LADY SWORDSMAN just arrived with a ton of MEAT!”**

Ell tilted her head to the side, noting that he had put a lot of efforts on pronunciation. Certain words were yelled out more clearly and forcefully than others, and she felt a thick mark appear on her head as she saw them rise from their sleep.

She glared at them even more forcefully as they looked angry at being woken up. Ell lifted her arm from under her cape once again, and the hands came flying down, landing on their heads once again. She heard them whine at the contact, but Ell simply huffed.

This journey here was taking a lot of her energy, and she wanted to let some out. She knew that she had no real valid reason for what she had just done, but she knew that the monster trio were the only ones who could either deserve it or survive it.

Usopp looked her way with a sweatdrop falling on the side of his head, portraying his exasperation. Ell huffed again and crossed her arms before her chest. She noted that Zoro was glaring at her while rubbing his head with his left hand.

Ell rolled her eyes and pointedly looked at his feet, where Zoro hesitantly looked as well. She heard him wonder about his shadow. Ell sighed and took a chair, sitting down. While the crew looked through the ship to see if anything had been stolen.

**“KIDNAPPED?! WHY DIDN’T YOU CHASE THEM DOWN TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD?! WHO I–“**

Ell put a hand on Sanji’s shoulder and forced him to sit down. She nodded at Usopp to explain everything, now that she had Sanji under control. Sanji swooned as her hand was on his shoulder, but when she tightened it to the point where she could have broken his shoulder, he stilled and remained quiet.

**“Alright! There are two huge things that we can’t afford not to get back.”**

Usopp started, and Luffy immediately spoke up with Nami and Food. Ell raised an eyebrow at that, but let go of Sanji’s shoulder as she moved towards the fridge, to see if there was anything to drink. She sighed when she saw there was nothing and she tuned back into the conversation just in time to hear that Usopp was telling their captain that they should concentrate on getting back Nami and their shadow for now.

Ell nodded at that and followed the crew as they explained everything that happened to the monster trio. Ell distantly listened to what was happening, but the majority of her attention was on the island, where the monster trio’s shadow was held.

**“You met Brook?!”**

Ell looked back towards the crew and smiled when she heard Franky tell them about what Brook had told them. She remembered that Franky had been interested in knowing why Brook was still holding on and still fighting even though it had been 50 years since the rest of his crew had disappeared.

**_“We made a solid promise that we would ‘absolutely return’. We set off on our ship and were annihilated on this sea. As to not break our word to him, I … the result was that I lived on the ship alone and I held that obligation all along.”_ **

_Brook stopped momentarily, and Ell took that moment to speak up._

**_“We can help, Brook. I know it is your dream to get back to the person you made that promise to, but getting help is not wrong. I’m sure Luffy won’t mind.”_ **

_The skeleton was still facing away from Ell, so he couldn’t have seen the way that she was looking at him. She knew, to some degree, the weight that was on his shoulders and was familiar with it. She had the same on hers._

**_“It’s nice, cape woman, but I will have to refuse. This is my burden alone. The Nakama we have left long ago and whom we had sworn that we would return to one day or another is Laboon. We certainly wouldn’t take a young whale on a dangerous voyage like ours.”_ **

Now that she thought about it, it must have been hard to leave him behind. She knew that she had watched her island for a long time before she was able to let go. Not that she ever did.

Ell turned her head, and she tilted it to the side when she noticed the flabbergasted expressions on some of the crewmembers. Luffy was the one who spoke up and told the crew that he knows Laboon. Franky had a shocked expression on his face, but Ell looked the other way before they could notice that she had been watching them.

**“Are you alright, Ell?”**

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and at the corner of her eye, she could see Robin’s face come up beside her. She let a small smile on her lips, but it disappeared quickly.

**“I just want this to be over. I hate it here.”**

Robin nodded at that and let go of the informant’s shoulder. The two women turned when Luffy exclaimed that Brook was going to become their new crewmember. Ell smiled, and it didn’t slip away at that moment.

**“You got a problem with that, you guys?!”**

She heard Robin chuckle beside her and she shook her head as she nodded. She liked music, so she had no problem to have a musician on board. She rolled her eyes at the tears that were escaping Franky and Chopper’s eyes but remained quiet nonetheless.

She heard Luffy inquire what Zoro was going to do, but she let her captain take care of him. She trusted that green-haired man more than he probably thought she did.

**“YOSHA! PREPARE FOR THE COUNTERATTACK! WE’RE GONNA BLOW DOWN THRILLER BARK!”**

–

Ell was already half-way across the bridge when something was shot her way. She quickly lifted her hand to catch the missile. It landed safely in her hand, and as she opened it, she saw that it was a sack of salt. She nodded in Usopp’s direction and created herself a pathway to get to the top of the island.

She could hear the commotion that her friends were creating, but she let it become background music as the melody of the trees on the island filled her ears. _It’s strange ... the tune is joyous. What could possibly make the trees happy, right now?_ , Ell wondered as stopped dead in her tracks.

Her eyes were clashing with a pair of dark ones, the holder of those a gigantic giant. Ell froze on her wooden platform, and she took a step back. _If that thing attacks me, I’m not sure I’ll be able to stop his punch with only one wall …_ , Ell thought as she lifted her arms from beneath her cape, ready to manipulate the surroundings to stop his punch.

Suddenly, the monster jumped from his place, and Ell quickly jumped back as he slammed through part of her bridge. She gritted her teeth together at the splintering of the wood, not liking the sound at all. _If I have any time to train sometime soon, I’ll have to work on my weaknesses … if this continues, I’ll soon become a burden more than anything else._ , Ell noted as she watched the giant land and heard her crewmates yell in fright.

She looked down, and she lifted an eyebrow at the fact that both Usopp and Sanji had landed face first into the rubble behind Franky and Zoro, both men not acknowledging them in any way, shape or form. Ell sighed at that.

**“That– That’s Luffy’s zombie!!”**

Ell was going to continue running, but the fact that Luffy’s made her stop. She let out a huge sigh and decided that this would have to do. She mumbled under her breath as she concentrated, gathering all the wood that she could.

Normal wood was not like Adam’s wood in that case. While Adam’s wood could easily duplicate and be more than what she had begun with, ordinary lumber had to be collected. And collecting wood is a tiresome process that she refrains from using while fighting because it takes so much time and energy to do.

**“ELL MANDERVILL! STOP!”**

Ell stopped and looked down to see that Franky was looking up at her and shaking his head. Ell huffed and took all the timber that she had collected at the moment and created a pair of wings to fly. She saw Franky’s jaw open in shock, but she did not let that stop her from flying to the top of the island.

Someone had called her. Someone that supposedly knew her and wanted to meet her to reunite with her.

_Someone is calling you, Ell. Someone you once knew._

_Ell tensed as she heard the voice of the Sunny intrude her thoughts, but she remained impassive as she listened to what the crew was talking around her as well as what their ship wanted to tell her._

_Someone I once knew? Sunny, I knew a lot of people …_

_The Sunny was silent for a long moment, and Ell let out an unnerved sigh. She nodded as Usopp said his last words and immediately ran towards the center of the island, even if she didn’t know where that person that she once knew was._

_At the very top of the island, Ell. They are waiting for you. Hurry up. _

_Ell didn’t respond, but she knew that the Sunny understood. She wanted to meet that person who supposedly once knew her. No one she knew should be here._

Ell shook her head and disintegrated the bridge that she had been running on, transforming it back into the small triangle that she wore as a necklace. She looked up towards the top, only to notice that part of it was gone.

As she looked back down, she noticed that Luffy’s zombie was creating a huge amount of ruckus and she couldn’t help the snicker that left her lips. Even Luffy’s shadow is prone to creating only troubles. Ell grew serious as familiar, yet strange presence entered her mind. Her head snapped up, and her eyes widened when she saw black wings.

As fast as she could, Ell flew towards the black wings, her heart rate growing and growing the nearer she got to the broken mast. _It can’t be_ , she thought, _I have seen him die. It can’t be, I’ve seen him leave this world!_

Ell was growing frantic, and it pushed her to be even faster, and in matters of seconds, she was hovering over the broken mast, looking around to find those black wings that had once belonged to the man who had given her everything. Who belonged to the man who had saved her more than once. To the man that she had considered her father.

**“It has been a long time, brat.”**

Ell’s body moved so fast, that she momentarily felt dizzy, but she pushed it aside as she saw the man that she thought she would never be able to meet again fly in front of her. Her eyes were huge as tears started to gather at the corner of it and she couldn’t stop the shaky sound that left her throat.

**“G-Gabriel?”**

 


	26. Fight with Mentor and Last Goodbyes

The two of them were hovering in the air, Gabriel’s black wings creating a gust of wind each time they came down. Ell’s wings did the same, only they were heavier, but their holder was too shocked to care about it. Her eyes were wide, unshed tears gathering in the corners.

**“Cat got your tongue, brat?”**

Ell’s snapped out of her shock, and she quickly landed on the broken mast, looking up to see Gabriel hovering over her, a fond expression on his face. She felt her body shake slightly, but she ignored it and took a step forward.

She froze, however, as her eyes took in his appearance. He looked like a zombie, stitches all over his whole body, different patches of skin covering his body. She was quiet for a moment before she spoke up.

**“You died. Moriah revived you.”**

Ell spoke matter-of-factly, her face now void of emotions. Gabriel nodded and saw her eyes darken with anger. A small smile played on his lips as he noticed that her temper was as bad as it had always been. He let out a long sigh as he landed before her.

**“I’m going to destroy him if Luffy hasn’t already.”**

She took out her daggers and started twirling them around her fingers. She felt the anger inside of her, and she wanted to do nothing more than to kill him herself, but she knew that her captain needed to do it himself. Not that her innocent captain would kill anyone. Most likely only beat him up really bad.

**“You have a crew now, brat?”**

Ell looked towards her mentor and nodded, still clutching her daggers in her hands. She felt a tremendous amount of hatred towards Moriah at the moment, but she needed to have something answered before she went back to her crew.

**“Do you know how you ended up here?”**

Ell was curious, and she wanted to know who had taken him here. Gabriel looked towards the front of Thriller Bark, his eyes darkening and she knew what it meant. He had found out and wanted nothing more than to go after the person who had taken him here.

**“Listen, brat; I’m partly in control of this body. Another part of me is following Moriah’s every order and I was ordered to kill you.”**

Ell tensed at what her mentor had just said, her eyes wide as her head snapped in his direction. She had frozen in her place, and she felt all the color drain from her face.

**“What?”**

Gabriel’s gaze darkened again, and he shook his head.

**“You heard me right, brat. Fight me. And kill me.”**

Ell took a step back at what he had just told her, and she felt her whole body tremble. She had no more control over her reactions and emotions, but what her mentor had just asked of her was something unthinkable.

**“I-I can’t! Old man! W-What are you asking o-of me?!”**

Gabriel sighed. He knew that Ell wouldn’t so readily accept his request and he knew of only one way to get her to snap out of her. He smirked before disappearing from his place and kicked Ell away from the broken mast. Ell’s eyes were still wide when she was kicked, and she watched stunned as she felt herself fall victim to gravity. A startled scream escaped her lips as she crashed into the forest below.

She was still in shock as she stood up from the debris. Her whole body shook as she realized part of her mentor’s plan. A shaky laugh escaped her lips as she created wooden arms to get her, her daggers, that had fallen out of her grasp as she had dropped to the lowest level of Thriller Bark.

Ell steeled herself and looked up seeing her mentor at the edge of the broken mast, looking down upon her. She let out a shaky sigh, before closing her eyes and allowing her mind to open beyond her surroundings, to see how her crew was doing. A small, but a proud smile appeared on her lips as she felt Zoro and Usopp fight valiantly against their opponents, but it soon transformed into a frown as she felt Luffy’s agitated soul.

She let out another sigh and shook her head as she felt Sanji swoon around an unconscious Nami, while Chopper went after that Doctor that had disappointed him greatly. She felt Robin with him and two presence similar to those of Sanji as Zoro as well.

 _Everyone has their own fight …_ , Ell thought seriously, as her shaky and broken resolve transformed into something stronger that run much deeper, _I’ll have to give my best just like them. I’ll mourn when all of this shit is over._

Ell let out one last sigh before she straightened her spine and looked straight up towards her mentor. She felt Luffy’s zombie still, but she shut all of their presences out of her mind to concentrate on her own fight.

**“I’ll free you, old man.”**

Ell whispered under her breath, smiling as she saw him nod. She exhaled, closing her eyes as she gathered all of the wood that she could. She knew that her mentor will be her greatest opponent and that he will be harder to defeat since he was the one who trained her.

**“Let’s get this show started, shall we, brat?”**

Ell gave the winged man no time to answer as she propelled herself towards him, massive arms of wood around her. She gritted her teeth together as her mentor stopped her attack with his hand, coated in something black. A cold chuckle left the man’s lips as he kicked his disciple into one of the gigantic arms.

**“Have you forgotten everything that I have thought you?”**

Ell grinned wolfishly as she used one of her wooden arms to slam against the broken mast, breaking it even further before making the one that she had landed on, throw her in her mentor's direction. The Adam’s wood around her neck transformed around her, creating a wooden lance, coated in the same black something that had been around her mentor’s hand. Her daggers were already back in their sheath with the two other ones.

**“Of course not, old man. Haki is necessary to survive, after all.”**

She remarked, clashing her weapon against her mentor’s crossed arms, who was grinning madly as well. They clashed several times over, each dodging the attack of the other. Ell gritted her teeth together as she transformed her lance into a giant hammer as she slammed it down upon the mast, which shattered into thousand pieces.

She distantly noted that Zoro and Usopp had finished their fight and that Chopper and Robin were having some trouble with theirs. Sanji, on the other hand, had made getting Nami back his priority, which meant that he hadn’t made sure that the pervert had been knocked out entirely.

Ell quickly jumped on the colossal hammer, her hands on its surface, her eyes concentrated on the floating figure of her mentor. She coughed slightly before she created herself several platforms in the air for her to jump upon with the timber surrounding them and using Adam’s wood to fight.

**“ _3 rdForm: Horde of Weapons_”**

A mass of weapons surrounded the two opponents. Ell sighed at that and took out two of her newest daggers and creating a newer set of arms on her back to fight the stringer man in front of her. She had coated her four daggers with salt and she hoped that she would get the opportunity to win against the older man in front of her.

**“Give me your best, Ell.”**

Ell forced her body to move, even though she had wanted to freeze as her mentor called her with her name instead of with her nickname. She gritted her teeth together as she heard the splintering of woods again, but she pushed that away as she jumped from one platform to another, deflecting her mentor’s attacks, one by one.

Some cut her, some bruised her, but she was able to deflect or dodge most of them as she neared him. She felt tears start to gather in her eyes, but she blinked them away as she sent weapons after weapons on him.

As he was surrounded by weapons, she inhaled deeply and tried to hide her presence as best as she could. She crouched down and pushed herself off the floor as hard as she could so that she could reach her mentor.

She attacked him with all she had, and she yelped as her mentor counterattacked with the same ferocity. She quickly gathered hovering weapons around them, making sure that some of them were still attacking her mentor as not to warn him of her plan.  

After all, she wanted this to get done as quickly as possible, she didn’t want to drag out his killing more than she had to. Even if he was already dead and had been killed by someone else. Ell shook her head at that and concentrated back onto her fight. She tried to kick him with her right leg and when he deflected that, she used the arms on her back to bring down the two daggers.

Gabriel deflected those as well, but she had already foreseen that, and she was able to punch him with her dagger. It landed in the area where his heart should be. She heard him gasp and she smiled up sadly at him and murmured.

**“I’m sorry, Gabriel. Take care of everyone up there, huh?“**

Gabriel’s eyes widened, but she pushed the dagger further into him, making the two of them fall towards the ground. The arms on her back disappeared after putting the daggers into their sheath and Ell slammed another dagger in his body, their fall fastening. Gabriel’s arm flew to her throat, but before they could reach it, Haki coated arms appeared around them holding Gabriel down.

**“ _4 thForm: Doublegänger_.”**

A person looking just like Ell appeared behind the two of them, falling with them. Her wooden arms circled him, and legs caged his wings between the two of them. Ell gritted her teeth together as she felt the strain on her body, but she ignored it as another pair of arms appeared on the arms that were circling Gabriel.

Those arms quickly flew to his face as they neared the ground dangerously fast. Gabriel noticed this and used the last part of his will to stop himself from breaking free. Ell saw this and gnawed on her lip, concentrating on getting a bunch of salt in her hand.

**“Thank you, Ell.”**

Ell bit back a sob as she pushed a handful of salt in Gabriel’s mouth, which had been forced open by the two hands. Her doubleganger behind them winced, and she knew that she had no time anymore. Her wincing was a tell that she was losing control over the wooden figure.

She slammed the bunch of salt violently in the man’s throat, her eyes watering as the two hands slammed his mouth shut. She forced herself to smile one last time, to let him go with an easy heart.

**“Bye-bye, old man. See you up there.”**

No one answered her as the zombie body went limb in her doubleganger’s grip, the doubleganger growing rigid as she lost control of it entirely. She felt the tears fell down as she crashed onto the ground, stone, and dust spreading around her. Ell winced at the very harsh landing, black spots playing in her vision.

She closed her eyes as she willed herself to regain her composure. She felt the ground suddenly start to shake, so she pushed herself past the debris, casting one last longing look towards her mentor, before walking away from the place. She stilled as she looked around, seeing the castle fall apart not far away from where she was.

She quickly walked back towards Gabriel’s zombified body and took her daggers out of his body. She gingerly put them back in their sheath and called back Adam’s wood into his original form. She sighed as she felt a sudden change in Luffy’s zombie demeanor and frowned as another earthquake shook the island.

 _I hope they are okay_ ; Ell thought worriedly as she ignored her dizziness and started to run towards the destroyed castle, which was being utterly decimated by Luffy’s giant zombie. She cooked her head to the side while running when she noticed that the considerable zombie wasn’t taking any notice of what he was destroying, his goal set on something – or someone – specific.

**“SHOW YOURSELVES, STRAW HAT CREWS!!”**

Ell raised an eyebrow at that and realized that they were his target. She gritted her teeth together as she pushed herself harder to reach her crew in time. She jumped from debris to debris, cursing herself as she felt the ground shake again.

**“SANJI!”**

Ell gritted her teeth together as she heard Chopper yell out Sanji’s name, whose presence was only a fickle compared to the rest, who were all losing consciousness one after the other. Ell willed herself to get there faster as she neared the castle.

**“That ‘Straw-Hat Guy’ from earlier, the ‘Orange Girl’, the ‘Stylish hero’ and that scary looking female. That’s four of them missing. Where are they?”**

She heard the giant wonder, but she ignored him as she ran towards her nakamas, who were all in some sort of unconscious state. She let out a relieved sigh as she watched the giant move away and she raised an eyebrow at her laying friends.

She let out a long sigh as she sat down before them, trying to regain as much force as she could since she had a feeling that she would need it. She let her nakamas relax as much as they could in their unconscious state while she relaxed as well and gathered as much wood as she could.

Since this process will take longer, she thought it might be a good idea to get it done while her nakamas are still out and gain enough time to have at least some amount of energy.

**“Ell?”**

Ell turned her head slightly, and she saw that Usopp was already standing back up. She heard the rest of her crewmates groan as one after the other came back to consciousness. She noticed that Usopp froze at the sight before him.

**“W-What is that?”**

He stuttered pointing to the huge ball of wood which was hovering over Ell’s sitting form. Ell smirked crookedly at his frightened state and chuckled as she noticed that the rest of the crew was eyeing the ball with contempt and wariness.

**“That is what I need to fight. Using Adam’s wood is hella taxing, even though it is easier and hella more practical since I don’t need to gather it. So yeah, I need to gather every amount of timber that I can so that I can use it.”**

Ell explained as she stood up, shrugging her shoulders to loosen up her muscles. She turned her whole body towards her crewmates, who were now glaring at the giant behind them.

**“You seem to have taken a good beating, haven’t you?”**

Ell taunted them, a fond smile on her lips as Zoro glared her way, Sanji swooned at her teasing, Robin chuckled, Franky grunted as he prepared his weapons and Chopper looked sheepishly to the side. Ell shrugged at their reactions and turned around, to face the monster again.

**“What was his name again?”**

She heard Sanji wonder and she shrugged, having arrived too late to hear what he had to say. Robin chuckled as everyone debated on his name until she was kind enough to tell them his name.

**“It’s Oz.”**

Ell nodded gratefully as she heard Zoro yell after him. She sighed as she let her smile fall and her eyes grow cold. _It will be easier to ignore the pain that way …_ , she thought as she pushed every ounce of emotion into the back of her heart and carefully locked it.

**“If that’s really Luffy’s shadow inside of you …”**

Ell saw that everyone’s expression was growing serious as well and she nodded as she saw them all ready themselves. She followed their example and moved a hand up slightly to make the wooden ball morph in forms.

**“Then you shouldn’t go underestimating …”**

Ell concentrated on the morphing of her wooden ball into a huge lance and smiled wolfishly as she heard Usopp and Chopper gasp slightly at the size of the lance. It was a lot bigger than the lance that she had created back at Water 7 as they escaped from Garp and she was quite proud of herself at the difference.

**“The Power of your own Nakama.”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!
> 
> I come with a new update and some news. There will be most likely no update next week because I have a lot of work to do and several exams. I hope you can understand and I really hope that you enjoy my fanfiction. I cherish every kudo and bookmark that I get and thank you all with all of my heart. (sorry if I sound corny or too emotional, it just makes really happy :)
> 
> Thank you for tuning in and see you soon in the next chapter!
> 
> Bye <3


	27. Strawhats vs. Oz & Moriah

Ell waited for her friends to be ready and shook her head as she heard Zoro propose to send the giant zombie flying. Usopp answered flabbergasted, while Sanji sided with Zoro, acknowledging the fact that it would feel good.

**“Still, I have to give him. With Luffy’s movement, that giant is pretty incredible.”**

Ell looked to the side towards Zoro, who had spoken up first, and listened to everyone comment on the zombie in front of them.

**“He wouldn’t make much of a ‘Pirate King’, though.”**

Robin commented, and Ell had to give it to her. The zombie in front of them would make a horrible ‘Pirate King’, not that the other pirates out there were much better. _The only one who deserves that title is Luffy. He’s the only one who could rally people together with just his innocence and determination_.; Ell thought fondly as she listened to Franky speak up next.

**“Just got to work out how to bring him down, but I’ve got a ton of ideas to try out.”**

A chill went down Ell’s spine at Franky’s comment, and she narrowed her eyes at the Cyborg. There was no way that she was letting him tell them how they should defeat this Zombie, that thought alone gave her a horrible feeling.

**“He must have some kind of weak point.”**

Chopper’s comment made Ell glare at the zombie in front of them, who slowly stood up from his crouching position.

**“He’s one big fish, but I guess I’ll have to loosen him up a bit.”**

Ell shook her head at that and moved the spear so that it was hovering over them. Usopp eyed the weapon with disdain and a small amount of awe, but he quickly looked back towards the zombie in front of them, a blank look on his face.

**“I’m terrified.”**

Ell rolled her eyes at that and ignored the need to slap him over the head. Suddenly, Ell’s head snapped back, and she searched her surroundings for someone, not finding them.

**“Where is Nami?”**

She asked slowly, her eyes darkening at the thought of losing one of her crewmembers. Nobody had the chance to answer her, however, as Oz jumped from his place, his legs up.

**“ _Gomu Gomu no Shirimochi_.”**

Ell jumped out of the way and sent the massive lance in the zombie’s way, but Oz deflected it. Ell gritted her teeth together as she called the weapon back and let it morph into the large shield as Oz slammed his fist down upon it. She ran away from the zone below the shield just in time to hear it shatter in a thousand pieces.

She winced, but gathered all the wood back and ran towards her crewmates. Ell froze in her steps as she saw Franky standing on Zoro and Sanji, who were supporting his leg. His right arm held Usopp and Chopper were sitting on Franky’s head.

**“That’s embarrassing.” “That would be too embarrassing.”**

Robin commented at the same time that Ell deadpanned and the two women looked at each other, nodding in accord. They were never going to allow their crewmates to get them to participate in such an action.

**“Never.”**

Ell growled under her breath as Oz slammed the three idiots into the nearest stone wall. Ell rolled her eyes at the idiots and watched Sanji kick a vast rubble towards the zombie’s face. She nodded in approval as she saw him play the bait. Oz lifted his arm, and she heard Zoro order Robin to finish the job.

Ell sighed as she created a platform on which Zoro could jump on, giving him even more momentum. Usopp shot some slippery balls towards Oz right hand, which had been holding his whole weight, and the giant slipped away. Zoro used that moment to used Ell’s platform, and Ell made the platforms push him towards Oz’ arm.

**“ _DAI GEKKEN!_ ”**

Ell watched as Oz’ arm was thrown backward and Robin used that moment to connect his right arm with his back, making the giant fall on his left. As this was done, she saw that Chopper and Franky were jumping towards the zombie’s head and preparing themselves to punch his jaw.

Ell immediately noticed that only one of his legs were going to hold him up and she ran towards it, as she was the one who was nearest and took all the wood back to create a huge hammer.

She grinned wildly as she heard Chopper explain to Oz that no matter how big he was, every human body has one weakness that will never change and that if they hit his jaw, his head would be spinning no matter what.

At that, Ell slammed the huge hammer on Oz’ leg and grunted as she felt her lift the giant off his feet and send him tumbling down.

**“Take that, you bastard.”**

Ell muttered as she followed her crew down and they were all standing in front of a very angry zombie, who was still trying to lift his body off the ground and stop his weight from crushing his head.

Suddenly, Ell tensed as a very familiar presence entered her mind, and she felt her body tremble slightly at what that meant. _It can mean nothing good if HE is here …_ , she thought, her face blank. She had never been more grateful that she was standing behind all of her nakamas.

Quickly, she called back all of the wood that she had used to fight Oz and let it hover behind her, trying to ignore the presence of another warlord on this island. _It cannot be good, to have two warlords on this island._ , Ell thought as she sensed Nami on the bridge not far away from where they were.

She let a shaky smile on her lips but quickly blanketed her face as she felt the familiar pain creep up inside of her at that small movement. She pushed her emotions back again, forcing herself not to feel anything.

_Nami … in … danger …_

Ell tensed as she heard the faint whisper of the Sunny Go and before anyone could notice that she was still here, she ran in the Sunny’s direction, where she had felt Nami run. She distantly heard someone yell out her name, but she was more worried about Nami and her meeting a warlord she couldn’t take on.

Ell panted as the wood followed her, still hovering over her back and she gasped in exhaustion as she landed behind Nami, just in time to hear someone yell in fright.

**“THIS IS ONE OF THE ROYAL WARLORDS! THE ‘TYRANT’, BARTHOLOMEW KUMA!”**

Ell froze behind Nami, and as she heard the woman in front of her gasp in fright, she put a comforting hand on her shoulder. She winced as she heard the orange-haired woman in front of her shriek and sighed as she felt her staff connect against a wooden shield that had automatically protected her.

**“It’s only me, Nami. Calm down.”**

Ell was patient as she heard Nami sigh in relief and she rolled her eyes at the glare that the woman was sending her way. Ell ignored Nami and walked in front of the navigator, seeing a pink-haired woman facing Bartholomew Kuma.

She shook her head as she heard the zombie crowd cheer for the woman – Perona – and she could feel the tension roll off of Nami. She wanted to help her relax, but she couldn’t do that with a warlord in front of them.

After sending one last look in Nami’s direction and stopping herself from teasing her, Ell looked back in Persona’s direction, just in time to see her attack the warlord and disappear as his palm connected with her body.

She winced, and her hands flew towards her daggers that were hidden beneath her cloak. She pushed Nami behind her when Bartholomew’s eyes connected with her own.

**“You’re the ‘Traitor’ and ‘Cat Burglar’ … both crewmates of ‘Strawhat’.”**

Ell tensed as she heard him talk and, even though she had tried to lock her emotions away, she was still shocked to see him reappear on a higher stake from where they were standing. Nami let out a small shriek as she hid behind the taller woman, Ell narrowing her eyes at the warlord.

Ell knew that if she had to fight the warlord, that she would lose, that was certain, but she would at least be able to gain enough time for Nami to escape. Her daggers were in her hands as she widened her stance, her eyes trained on the silent warlord who was looking down upon them.

**“Is it true that Monkey D. Luffy … has a brother?”**

His voice was low and rough, making Ell shiver. There was something about this warlord that was sending her instincts haywire, but at the same time calming her. _Something tells me that he is part of the Revolutionaries … I’ll have to ask Two and Ten._ ; Ell thought as she remained silent since she could not answer that question.

**“He … he does … Ace, right? What about it?”**

Nami answered, and Ell tensed at that information. Her eyes widened as the familiar name fell from Nami’s lips and she saw that Kuma had recognized it just as much. _The Marines had caught Ace… and he is Luffy’s brother?!_ , Ell thought distressed, but before she could speak up, the Warlord reappeared in front of her, his hand her holding tightly around her waist.

**“What are you doing?! Let her go!”**

She heard Nami shriek, but Ell did not acknowledge the orange-haired woman as she looked the giant in the eyes. Kuma told Nami that what he was going to do here and with Ell was for him to decide and Ell glanced in Nami's direction, to make sure that she was okay. The last thing that Ell saw from Nami was her frightened expression and Ell forced a small smile on her lips, making the other woman’s eyes widen in shock and in fear.

**“You look good in a wedding dress. Sad that you didn’t invite me to it.”**

Ell commented, and before Nami could respond, Kuma warped the two of them away. She gritted her teeth together as she felt the dizziness try to overtake her again, but she held on tightly onto Kuma’s hand as he lifted her so that they now faced each other.

**“The Revolutionary wonder why you have put your men and women in their organization.”**

Kuma spoke up, and he confirmed two things that she had suspected, one longer than the other. For one, the Revolutionaries knew that her organization was within their own and Kuma was part of it. She lifted an eyebrow in question, not bothering to grace the warlord with an answer.

**“I hope for your organization it is not to betray the Revolutionaries.”**

Ell rolled her eyes at that, looking Kuma in the eyes with a blank expression.

**“I betrayed the Top which, coincidentally, is also an enemy of the Revolutionaries. I put my men and women in your organization so that they could be safe. Not to gather information about the Revolutionaries. If I have to be honest, you don’t really interest me. It’s once you do that you should be worried about me making my organization betray yours. So, unless you give me a reason to, you don’t have to be worried.”**

Ell stated, her eyes boring into Kuma’s hidden one. Kuma suddenly opened his hand, and Ell landed on her feet, glaring at the taller man as she swayed slightly. She dusted herself off and watched as the wood came back to hover behind her back.

**“I hope so, ‘Traitor’, I hope so.”**

Ell was quick to answer on that one.

**“You better. Now, I’m sure there is a reason as to why you are here, and that is surely not me.”**

Kuma simply turned slightly but stopped, and Ell could see that he was contemplating something. She didn’t dwell on it as she marched towards the nearest window, and looked out of it, only to see that her friends were still fighting Oz.

She had heard him cry out in pain previously, but it seemed that he was being a pain in their ass more than anything else.

**“’Blackbeard’ Marshall D. Teach is the successor of Crocodile.”**

Ell tensed as she heard his words and her head snapped in his direction, her eyes wide with surprise. She quickly connected the dots and gritted her teeth together in frustration.

**“Because he delivered Portgas D. Ace, right?”**

She saw him nod and she slammed her fist against the wall in her anger. She felt him leave and her whole body sagged in horror and distress. A shaky breath left her lips as she slid down the wall, her face contorting in pain and frustration.

She felt herself start to lose control over her emotions, which she had so carefully locked away and she slammed her fist on the floor, trying to feel pain so that she would snap out of her emotional breakdown.

_Ace is Luffy’s brother … Ace will most likely be executed since he is the commander of Whitebeard’s second division … and if I tell Luffy, he will charge head first in battle to help him. Besides, Ace is most likely in Impel Down at this precise moment … Talk about frustrating. Luffy isn't ready ... not to face such powerful foes that Ace's execution will bring ..._

Ell felt her thoughts going haywire as she went through everything that she could do and no outcome was satisfying enough. If she told Luffy, she would have to stop him; she couldn’t have him run to save his brother, not when they were reaching Sabaody with fast steps.

If she didn't tell him about his brother, he would have to find out eventually and will most likely know that she knew about it as well. She preferred not to think about what would happen if he did.

An enormous explosion startled Ell out of her thoughts, and she cursed herself. She jumped up, her eyes scanning her surroundings out of the window. Her eyes quickly landed on Oz who was destroying his surroundings in a frenzied fashion. She narrowed her eyes in his direction and called back the ball of wood, which was now floating in front of her.

 _This will take a lot of energy_ , Ell thought, forcing herself to ignore the pain that was coursing through her whole body. The ball of wood started to morph in her doppelgänger, and she smiled wolfishly, even though she felt sweat break on her forehead and her body start to protest in waves of pain.

**“Help crewmates.”**

It was all Ell was able to grit out as her doppelgänger disappeared from view. She blew out a breath as she ran out of the tower that Kuma had taken her in. She ran in the direction that Ell had felt Nami last time since she had a bad feeling about all of this and she had to help however she could.

**“FRANKY!”**

Ell’s breath hitched as she ran faster, sighing in relief as she saw a cloud firm over Oz, who had a foot lifted in the air, ready to smash however was beneath him. She quickly landed beside Nami, who was too concentrated on electrifying Oz to notice her.

She saw her doppelgänger take Franky away and she gritted her teeth together as she felt the strain in her body. _Goddamnit, how much does that Cyborg weigh?!_ , she asked herself angrily as her doppelgänger stopped behind Chopper and Zoro, who was eyeing her, to see if she was fine.

**“Thanks, Ell.” “Where were you?”**

She heard Chopper thank her and Zoro growl in anger, but her doppelgänger couldn’t respond. After all, she could not make a wooden figure talk. She noticed that Sanji was looking around, trying to find Nami and as he saw her, she had to facepalm at him pointing out their hiding point out to Oz.

**“Idiot.”**

She muttered under her breath, and she had apparently been loud enough because Nami shrieked as she turned around, her eyes widening as she saw the taller woman in front of her. Ell tilted her head to the side in silent question when she saw the shorter woman’s eyes water and cringed when she threw her arms around her.

**“ELL! I was so worried!”**

The shout gained Oz attention, and Ell narrowed her eyes at the giant. She saw him ready his fist, shouting a familiar name for his incoming attack.

**“Ell?! H-How?! She’s–“ “Take Franky out of her, Ell! Usopp!”**

She could hear her crewmates shout at each other and she glared at the giant as she quickly ran to the edge of the bridge. She saw Robin’s arms appear as a long rope and she grabbed one as her doppelgänger handed Franky to Usopp, who ran away with their heavy crewmate.

**“ _Gomu Gomu no …_ ”**

Ell gritted her teeth together, squeezing the woman against her and she murmured in her ear to make sure that her bag was still on her back and that she lost nothing as they jumped. Nami shrieked and started to protest, but she left her no choice as she glared at the younger woman.

Nami quietened and did as she was told, making Ell nod gratefully in her direction. Ell eyed the monster whose eyes were locked onto her and a wolfish smile appeared on her lips.

**“ _Pistol_!”**

And Ell jumped, making Nami squeak in fear again. Ell narrowed her eyes at the orange-haired woman before tightening her grip around her and Robin’s hands. Her crew was eyeing her curiously and warily as they landed and she nodded gratefully in Robin’s direction.

**“T-TWO ELLS??”**

Ell turned towards Chopper and the rest of her crew, who were eyeing the two of them with contempt and curiosity. Ell nodded and pointed her finger at her frozen doppelgänger, who was watching the scene with an expressionless face.

**“That’s my doppelgänger. Although it is interesting that you seem shocked by it, you should concentrate on Oz instead. He seems to have gotten Luffy’s abilities, making him that much more dangerous.”**

Ell spoke seriously just as they all scrambled to dodge the giant zombie’s attack. Ell gritted her teeth together as she ordered her doppelgänger to take care of Usopp and Franky, who was still unconscious. Zoro noticed as well, but they all knew that they had to take care of that asshole first if they wanted to get out of this sticky situation.

Ell quickly hid her presence and ran amongst the debris, making sure that no one saw her, not the zombie, not Moriah, not even her crew. She watched silently as they took care of attacking the monster and she waited patiently, like a predator, for a time to strike.

She saw Brook fly in Oz’ direction and she nodded approvingly as she saw him go through Oz’ left shoulder. Zoro attacked afterward, and she let out a long sigh as she started to sprint amongst the huge stones, using them to hide her from view.

**“Perhaps you would like to stop controlling that shadow for a while.”**

Ell grinned as she heard Robin talk and she was quick to react as Moriah answered.

**“Do you really think that you’ll be able to stop me?”**

Ell grinned as she appeared behind Moriah, just as he tried to attack Robin, but her Haki covered hands stopped him from doing anything. That and a wall of timber which was preventing Moriah from seeing what was happening outside.

**“Yes, I think so.” “ELL!!”**

Moriah grunted as Ell slammed him in the inside of Oz’ body, making the giant trip and fall on his side. Ell was going to do more, but Moriah disappeared from inside of Oz with a malicious chuckle and Ell growled, calling back the wall just in time to see him attack Robin.

Her eyes were wide as she held on tightly to the inside of Oz, feeling herself grow dizzy again. She shut her eyes tightly together, but before she could do anything, she saw Oz’s arm reach out for her.

She had no time to react as he took her out of his stomach, his eyes narrowing at the trembling woman in his hand. Ell distantly heard her crewmates call out for her, and she tried to get out his grip, but he had one of her arms in his hand, while the other one was punching him, with no huge result.

**“You are an annoying fly. Die.”**

Ell’s eyes widened at his words, and before she could comprehend what was happening, Oz squeezed his hand and Ell screamed out in pain, trying to get out of his grip. She was losing consciousness, and she felt ashamed at her weakness.

However, Oz seemed to have lost interest in her as he tried to grab Chopper. She was still in his hand as both Zoro and Sanji tried to get him to let her go. Ell was on the verge of falling unconscious, but she forced herself to go out with one last attack.

**“ _5 thForm: Hammer of Hell_.”**

A huge hammer slammed down upon Oz, which was enough to make him lose balance and let her go. However, she felt the unconscious forms of her crewmates already lying on the floor, and she knew that she must have lost consciousness for some amount of time.

**“CHOPPER! SANJI!”**

Ell cringed as she felt her body slowly fall and the gravity quickening it. She noted distantly that Nami and Usopp cried out her name, but that was all she could remember as she landed heavily on the ground, her world going black.


	28. Fight one Warlord, two Warlords and survive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo!
> 
> I'm coming at you with a new chapter and a whole editing marathon. I needed to read over my fanfiction again, to see if any mistake had been made or things like that. Either way, I hope you enjoy this chapter!
> 
> See ya!

Ell felt someone hold her, but all she could make out was the fact that Oz had broken some of her ribs and that she was hurting all over.

**“This one is the most damaged!”**

Ell slammed her hand against whoever had shouted over her, and she glared at the man who was cradling his face with his hands. She huffed and stood up shakily, watching Luffy and everyone around them doing the same.

Ell noticed that Nami was eyeing her worriedly, but Ell shook her shoulders and took off her cloak, making it fall heavily on the floor. Ell ignored the stunned gazes that she got from everyone as they noticed that she was as heavily wounded as Zoro, Sanji, and Luffy.

**“Nami, I trust you with my bag. If you lose it, I’ll get everything that involves money for the rest of our journey.”**

Ell threw her bag lightly in her direction, and Nami’s eyes widened at the serious look that Ell was sporting. She scrambled to catch the bag and hissed at anyone that was getting too close to her or the bag.

Ell nodded satisfied and unsheathed her daggers, waiting beside Zoro. The two glanced at each other in silent understanding, and Ell ignored the people behind her who were commenting rather loudly on what each of the crew members was doing.

**“Let’s fuck some shit up.”**

Ell grinned wolfishly as she watched all of her crewmates attack Oz after the other. She watched Nami create clouds and Franky, Usopp, and Chopper freeze Oz’ legs. Sanji appeared over Oz head with a large chain around his leg.

Ell crouched in a fighting position, putting all of her weight on her legs, as to help her propel herself farther. She could feel Luffy attack Oz from above, but she ignored it as she heard Chopper call out to them.

**“ELL! ZORO! TUCK UP OZ‘ BELLY!“**

Ell smirked at that and concentrated on inducing her daggers with armament Haki, smiling as she heard Zoro announce his attack.

**“ _Santoryuu: Mysterious Three Thousand Worlds_!”**

**“ _Hell’s Strike_.”**

The two landed behind the giant as she heard Chopper explain that a man’s spine was s-shaped as to lessen the damage that is being taken and that now, with their help, the crew was able to straighten Oz’ spine and thus making sure that the damage that he will receive will be everything that Luffy could offer.

**“This is your shadow, Luffy. Go and put an end to this.”**

Ell heard Zoro speak from around his sword and she noticed that moment that the swordsman had a new sword. _What is Shusui doing here?_ , she thought, narrowing her eyes at that sword, but her mind was quickly taken by Luffy slamming his gigantic fists in Oz’ face. Ell watched the giant fall to the ground, but no sound of pain left the giant.

Ell shivered as she thought about the amount of pain they would have inflicted to him and that he wouldn’t even be standing if he was human and not a zombie. Not that he could now either, with a shattered spine.

**“No need to awaken me …”**

Ell snapped out of her thoughts as she saw Moriah stand up from within Oz. An ominous feeling washed over her as she glared at the warlord. There was something heavily wrong with the way that Moriah was speaking and her ominous feeling was proved right as Moriah took all the shadows from the zombies around them.

Ell glared even harder in his direction, hating how he was using his friends to get what he wanted. An angry growl escaped her as she jumped out of the way, landing behind Zoro.

**“Strawhat … you absorbed around hundred shadows, right? … well, I shall take ONE THOUSAND! KISHISHISHISHI!”**

Ell jumped out of the way as Moriah smashed the island in two and she helped everyone around them to flee the chaos that Moriah was creating. A scream caught her attention, and she saw a man go up in flames.  

 _Shit, that’s right! The sun will burn everyone without a shadow!_ , Ell thought hurriedly as she created a massive dome of wood, casting a deep shadow over the island. She turned her head and nodded at Zoro who nodded back and stood behind the rest of the crew who had joined them back on the floor.

**“How long will you hold?”**

Ell’s head slowly moved up to see that Luffy was talking with her and she smiled shakily as she felt a lot of her energy leave her body.

**“Go wild, Luffy. We’ll take care of everything afterward.”**

Luffy nodded at her statement, and she saw Nami appear behind her. The orange-haired woman placed her hand on Ell’s shoulder, and she nodded gratefully as she closed her eyes and concentrated on letting the dome hover over the island, protecting all of them from the sun.

Yelling was heard behind them, and it was starting to get on her nerves. She was about to open her eyes and glare at the people yelling behind them, but Zoro beat her to it.

**“If you’re going to watch, then watch silently. The battle against Moriah is already won. All that is left is a race against the clock. Moriah is only trying to buy time with his insane final move.”**

Ell heard the people behind them gasp at what the swordsman was telling them, but everyone in the crew knew that he was right. Luffy was already winning, even though Zoro was making his win all the more dramatic with everything that he was telling the men behind them.

**“We shall see whether we’ll be eliminated by the sun first or Moriah’ll be the first one to lose.”**

Ell rolled her eyes at that and even though no one could see that, she knew that Zoro had felt her exasperation at the dramatics that he was adding to the fight. All of them knew for a fact that Luffy was going to try his goddamn best to free them.

Ell fell on her knees as one of Moriah’s attacks landed on her dome. She was slowly losing control over the dome, but she forced herself to try and have the dome up for as long as she could.

**“Don’t overdo yourself, Luffy!”**

She could hear all the worried shouts and yells that were directed to Luffy, but she was slowly losing consciousness at the strain that she was putting on her body. She slowly opened her eyes to see that Moriah was starting to spit out some shadows, but that was not enough.

Suddenly, the giant’s gaze landed on her and with a sweep of his foot, made the blue-haired woman slam into the nearest tower, her dome disappearing from the sky, allowing the sun to shine upon them.

A cry left her lips as she felt her body sag under her, but she forced herself to stand up, even as she heard Luffy attack the giant one last time.

**“Do not touch my nakamas!”**

Her world went momentarily black after that, but she was still able to hear everyone yelling out Sanji, Robin, Zoro, and Luffy’s name in worry as they started to disappear. Ell wanted to do something, but her body was not cooperating as she tried to force herself up.

She must have fallen unconscious because the next thing that she knew was that she felt Bartholomew’s presence not far away from Moriah and Luffy’s fading one. She quickly pushed herself up, coughing out blood as she stood up and ran towards her friends, who were watching everything happen with fear and wariness.

As she landed beside Nami, the orange-haired woman let out a small shriek, alerting anyone of her presence. Kuma’s hooded eyes landed on her, and she gritted her teeth as he moved his attention towards Zoro.

**“Let’s start with you, Pirate Hunter Zoro.”**

Ell watched silently as Kuma stood motionlessly before every one of them and as Zoro stepped forward.

**“Enough! You guys find a place to hide. He asked for me, didn’t you hear it?”**

Ell sighed at that and turned her attention towards her crewmates, wincing as she felt her ribs and her arm protest in pain. She ignored it and stood behind Robin as they watched Zoro prepare himself to fight the warlord.

Ell knew that he wouldn’t win, but it didn’t stop her from wishing that he won’t die in his fight either. She narrowed her eyes as she heard Zoro speak, but remained quiet nonetheless.

**“Your reputations are great. Strawhat Luffy has managed to gather a really skillful crew on his ship.”**

While the others seemed to be flattered by what Kuma said, Ell narrowed her eyes at the warlord and winced when she heard Usopp yell in Zoro’s direction. They all knew that they were no match to the warlord, but fighting was their only way of escaping either way.

 _I wonder why he seems to be so keen on following the W.G.’s orders though … he must have some kind of hesitance, with him being in the Revolutionaries and all …_ , Ell thought as she saw Zoro dodge and her gaze quickly flickered in Luffy’s direction.

She let out a heavy sigh as she jumped out of the way of Kuma’s attack, her eyes narrowing in his direction. She saw him deflect one of Zoro’s attacks and she rolled her eyes as she heard him explain his devil fruit to them.

**“I ate the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi. I’m a paw man.”**

Everyone’s reaction as ranging from shocked to calculating, but Ell’s head snapped in Franky’s direction when she heard him comment on the warlord’s abilities.

**“Even though he’s a warlord, he doesn’t seem to be that tough … maybe he isn’t that great!”**

Ell narrowed her eyes at the cyborg, and she was going to speak up, but she was beaten by Kuma, who attacked the cyborg and made sure to have him unconscious. _Don’t insult a Warlord so easily, Franky. They are chosen by the W.G. for a reason …_ , she chastised her crewmate in her mind.

Her eyes slowly moved back towards Zoro and Kuma just in time to see that Zoro was dodging a bunch of attacks that had been thrown his way, before counter-attacking, but failing. She froze where she stood when she saw Kuma reappear behind the swordsman and was about to jump in when Sanji attacked the warlord.

She gritted her teeth together and quickly used her control to create a wall between Zoro and Kuma, using Sanji’s distraction to get Zoro back towards the rest of the crew. She glanced down at the injured man but didn’t dwell on anything when she heard Sanji complain about the hardness of Kuma’s head.

 _Maybe he’s using Armament Haki? No … he would have to have a dark shine on his face, which isn’t present or I haven’t seen at least …_ , Ell thought angrily as she watched the warlord dodge Usopp’s attack and prepare one of his own.

She left the discussion part up to her crewmate as she closed her eyes and mumbled something in Zoro’s ears.

**“Be sure that everyone is safe; I will most likely be out of it by the end of this …”**

She saw Zoro’s eyes snap in her direction, but she ignored him as she shakily stood up, her whole body protesting in pain. She was slowly creating gathering all the energy that she had left to deflect the Warlord's attack as she heard him ask them to give up Luffy.

**“NO WAY!”**

The surrounding answer was precisely what she expected as she felt Kuma detonate his attack.

**“ _Ursa Shock_ ”**

**“ _Thousand Walls!_ ”**

Ell gritted her teeth together as she took the brunt of the attack, her body begging to be left alone as she felt some of her ribs crack under pressure. Another wave of pain washed over her, and she heard the pained yells of her crewmates and the other people as her walls gave in under the warlord’s attack.

Seconds before she fell unconscious, she felt the explosion stop, everyone falling victim to it and Kuma near Luffy, who laid behind a still standing, but heavily injured Ell. Her eyes quickly connected with Kuma’s and a question left her lips shortly before her whole body gave up.

**“Is this what you truly want, Bartholomew Kuma?”**

–

Ell knew that she was unconscious, but she could hear some things happening around her. She could hear Zoro’s erratic heartbeat as well as the motoric sound of Kuma’s body. _Motoric sound? Is he a machine, or something?_ , she thought distantly as she heard Kuma talk.

 **“I am indeed a cyborg, but one far over Franky’s type. I am what they call ‘Pacifista’, an incomplete human weapon created by the World Government. The project founder is Dr. Vegapunk–”** _I have already heard of that genius maniac before … most intelligent man in this world …_ **“–the genius scientist from the World Government. He is that man who possesses the greatest brain in the world. His knowledge in science is what others could only discover in 500 years of now.”**

Ell must have missed some part of the discussion going on between the warlord and the swordsman because the next thing that she hears is Zoro’s plea to take his head instead of Luffy’s. She heard Kuma question Zoro why, if he had such big ambitions, he would sacrifice everything for one man only.

**“There is already no other way to save the crew! If … I can’t protect my captain’s dream, then whatever ambition that I have is nothing worth talking about! Luffy … must be the man who becomes Pirate King.”**

Ell smiled at that, even though she was still too weak to stand up or even open her eyes, she could say that she was proud of her first mate. _If only I could help …_ , she thought furiously, trying to force her body to move, but nothing worked.

Ell missed part of the discussion again and only heard how Sanji called Zoro a bastard before the cook fell unconscious and Kuma let out an annoyed sigh. She felt the warlord lift Luffy from beside her, and she was able to open her eyes at that moment to see the warlord looking down upon her.

A pained pant left her lips as she pushed her body into a sitting position and listened to what the warlord had to say. She could feel the swordsman eyes on her, and she glanced in his direction as Kuma spoke up.

**“What you are about to experience is HELL.”**

Ell shuddered at that heaviness in the warlord’s voice, and she sighed as she saw the determined look in Zoro’s eyes. After giving Zoro a taste of all the pain and fatigue that Luffy had accumulated, the warlord looked in the swordsman direction gravely, but expectantly.

**“Just let me decide of the location.”**

Ell coughed harshly as she felt her ribs cry in protest, but she walked towards the swordsman; nonetheless, her eyes narrowed. She saw that he was ready to put her out if she tried to go against him and an amused laugh, which quickly turned into a pained cough left her lips.

**“Don’t die on us, Zoro. Luffy will not be able to fulfill his dream without his first mate.”**

She gave the swordsman a pained smile, filled with resignation and she knew that Zoro was aware of how much she wanted to jump in. However, Ell was aware that this was something that the swordsman had to do and she put her hand on his shoulder, squeezing it tightly.

The swordsman nodded, and that was all that Ell needed before she succumbed to her pain again and let her body fall, knowing that her crewmate was there to catch her. She distantly heard Zoro mutter something, but she was too far gone to hear what he had to say.

All that she could manage to hope was that Zoro would still be alive when she woke up.

–

Ell groaned as she slowly woke up from her slumber and she winced as she felt her ribs protest at her movements. A frown appeared on her lips as she pushed herself off the bed, watching with wide eyes as all of her crew was sleeping around her.

**“You’re finally awake, Ell-chan.”**

Ell looked to the side to see that Brook was slowly walking her way. Ell nodded, her frown still present. The older man must have known what was on her mind because he answered her unasked question.

**“You were asleep for two days, Ell-chan. You had the crew very worried, much like Zoro.”**

Ell’s gaze quickly scanned the room for the green-haired swordsman, and she let out a relieved sigh when she saw him sleeping on a bed as well. _He’s alive …_ , she thought relieved and nodded in thanks.

**“Thanks, Brook. Finally decided to join us?”**

Ell asked with a small smile as she stood from her bed, stretching her body and sighing in relief as she felt several of her limbs pop. She walked out of the room and towards the deck, the skeleton following the informant.

**“Yes. Yohohoho ~”**

Ell laughed at that and nodded. She let out a heavy sigh as she noticed that it was night. She smiled at that, but it quickly disappeared when she searched everywhere for her bag. She felt something being thrown her way and she let out another relieved sigh as she caught her bag.

She quickly thanked Brook who was watching the informant with interest, while she rummaged through the small bag which Nami had given him and told him to give it to Ell when she woke up.

**“There it is! Everything is accounted for; that is good.”**

Ell said satisfied, and she quickly waved goodbye to Brook, going to her room, to put all of her things in a safe. However, when she reached her place, she frowned as she came to the realization that these books were getting way too much importance.

**“I have to find a way to hide the information in them …”**

Ell spoke with herself as she sat behind her desk, putting all of her books on the desk. Her Book, The Adventures of the Strawhat Pirates, was the only one she knew that she wanted to have in her bag constantly, as well as the two den-den mushis.  

Her book with information was way too pricy for it to be in her bag where she could lose everything.

_How about making it become one with me?_

Ell jumped in her seat, and she sighed annoyed when she heard the Sunny laugh at her reaction. _I was not expecting to hear from you … at all._ , Ell commented as she leaned against the chair, her eyes wandering over the night sky. _But what do you mean, having it become one with you? As in making you the receptacle of all the information that I gathered?_

Now that Ell thought about it, it wasn’t that bad of an idea, since the Sunny, who she was considering as real person, even though he was a ship, could only be heard by her and she could be the only one who can get information in and out of the book.

_Yes. I would be able to share whatever you have written in that book as well as whatever you want to know. After all, your Devil Fruit abilities are what gave me a conscience in the first place. You proved yourself worthy of being called my master, Ell._

Ell remained quiet as she went over what the Sunny said to her. _I’m no one’s master, Sunny. We are friends and comrades. I trust you will take care of everything._ , she thought softly, and the reassuring hum of the ship lulled her in a peaceful sleep after it took the booklet and became one with it.

–

**“Thank you so much for freeing us; we will forever be grateful.”**

Ell smiled in Lola’s direction as she saw her talk with the rest of the crew. The informant was sitting on the rail, her adventure book safely in her hand and open as she sketched the scene out in front of her.

These last days had been relaxing for the Strawhat crew as well for anyone on this island. Usopp and Franky had built a tomb for Brook’s team, and Nami had gathered all the valuable money and treasures on this island, giving some to Lola because she considered the taller woman a friend.

Ell had made sure to draw an image of that action as well as of the crew’s reaction to that. Humming to herself, she distantly noted that Lola explained to the crew the concept of Biblicards.

 _Sunny, we had not discussed how far your ability to be the recipient of the information that I gather reaches … do you have an idea?_ , she questioned the ship as she jumped down and marched towards her captain, a small smile on her lips.

_As far as I know, I would say that it depends on how much energy you are willing to give to me since when I talk to you or do something for you, it is on your account. My guess would be, for now, I can only store the information that you give me, but if you can somehow give me more energy, I think I can gather it for you._

Ell hummed at that and took the booklet that the Sunny was giving her and she listened to Lola’s explanation. Ell had already a vague idea as to what it was, but getting confirmation on her knowledge was always a good thing.

**“This isn’t just a piece of paper. You can get it wet or burn it, and it won’t damage. If you bring a piece of your fingernail to a certain shop, they’ll put it in a mix and create a special sheet of paper for you! That’s the paper of life, Vivre Card. You tear it and give it to an important friend whom you’ll be separated from.”**

Lola put a ripped piece of paper on the desk of the Sunny, and it started to move, making everyone awe and look at it with wide eyes.

**“This paper will allow you to meet with the one who holds the other half no matter where in the world they are. So I can always know in which direction Mama is in! Though it doesn’t tell the distance.”**

Ell tuned out the rest of the conversation as she had a feeling that it was over and closed the book, looking around one last time as she walked towards the kitchen, feeling a little bit hungry.

**“This is certainly a Vivre Card … but … there is one thing that I haven’t told you, and it’s that this paper also represents the life force of its original owner! This is an important person to you, right?”**

Ell’s head snapped in Luffy’s direction, and she was behind him the moment she heard Lola utter these words. Luffy flinched in shock as he saw his crewmate appear behind him, her eyes wide and fixated on the piece of paper in his hand.

Ell gulped as she saw this and heard Luffy answer that it belonged to Ace and she felt her whole body freeze at the mention of the caught commander of the second division of Whitebeard.

**“That person’s life … IS VANISHING!”**


	29. Mermaid, Flying Fish Riders and real life Doppelgänger?!

After saying goodbye to Lola and her crew, Ell watched Luffy intently as she heard Nami question him about Ace. Her face was pulled downwards, and even though all of the crew was happily singing together, the informant was being distant.

She was thinking about what Lola had told Luffy, and she could feel his worry, even after he told Nami that Ace wouldn’t have liked it. She sighed and faked a smile as everyone cheered for the rest of their adventure.

After partying the first day, Ell tugged Luffy aside, and her captain immediately noticed that his informant was being serious. A curious expression played on his face as he followed the woman into the kitchen, where Sanji was making food.

**“Sanji, can you give me and Luffy some privacy please?”**

The woman asked curtly, the cook raising his eyebrow at how curt she was, but fulfilling her request nonetheless. She motioned for Luffy to sit down as and she sat down beside him. Luffy noticed that her eyes were hooded and that something was weighing down on her.

**“Luffy … I know that you said that you don’t want to worry about Ace, but I feel the need to tell you what Kuma – the bear warlord – has told me or what I knew before I knew that this man was your brother …”**

Luffy froze in his seat at the mention of his brother and his smile dimmed slightly as he took in the heavy look that was in his informant’s eyes. He closed his eyes and Ell waited for her captain to tell her to go on.

After a nod, she sighed and started to talk.

**“Your brother was caught by the Marine and will most likely be sent in Impel Down, until his execution.”**

Ell went straight to the point, watching her captain’s expression carefully and intently. His expression, however, was shadowed by his strawhat. The informant waited patiently for her captain to react in any way, shape or form when suddenly a hand was on her shoulder.

Ell watched as a big smile appeared on her captain’s lips, and she listened intently when he talked.

**“It’s okay, Ell. I trust Ace; he will get out of this situation. We will continue our initial course.”**

Ell’s expression revealed nothing of what she thought, but she stood up abruptly and grabbed Luffy in a hug nonetheless. Luffy was too shocked to react in any way since Ell had never seemed to be a physical person, but Ell didn’t let that deter her.

**“Luffy, if you want, I can gather as much information that I can about Ace’s situation. Even though you did nothing, you saved me from a lonely life. I’m here, Luffy, if you need any information on anything. Never hesitate to ask.”**

Ell threw him one of her scarce big smiles and Luffy laughed. He hugged his informant tightly, making the taller woman pet his head, but her captain did not comment on what she had just told him.

**“I trust you to make the right decision, Luffy.”**

Their discussion ended with Sanji barging in, complaining about Luffy getting a hug from Ell and Luffy demanding Sanji to make them some food. Ell chuckled at the exchange and truly hoped that she had taken the right decision to let Luffy know about his brother.

Days passed quickly on board of the Sunny and Ell had been able to increase her stamina and energy reserve slightly, with the help of Zoro, Brook, and Robin, who all helped her in one way or another.

Ell knew that Luffy was still slightly down with the news that she had given him about his brother, but he didn’t let that drag him down, and he still had fun with the rest of his crewmates.

**“Not yet, I’m still too soft …”**

Ell wanted to sigh at what Zoro had just said, but she couldn’t, since she was totally his opinion. They were still too weak. Kuma was able to beat them so easily, and if they want to reach the New World and survive in it, they will have to get a lot stronger than this.

**“Can still … get stronger!”**

Zoro grunted as he pushed the weight with his legs. Ell sighed, where she sat on his weight and looked down, one of her eyebrow raised in question.

**“Is that how you motivate yourself to get stronger?”**

She asked lowly, her eyes wandering around the room, where she was making sure that several of her doppelgängers were marching around and doing stuff. Sweat was already appearing everywhere on her body, just like Zoro, but she didn’t let that discourage her.

Her only response was a grunt, and she sighed as she ordered all of her doppelgängers to jump onto the weight Zoro was pushing up and down making the man grunt again. A soft chuckle left her lips as she gazed outside, hearing Nami yell into the den-den mushi for something that brook had said while they searched for a way to get to the Fishman Island.

**“Is that your training?”**

Ell looked down to see Zoro push her up once again and she nodded slowly.

**“Yeah. For now, I need to increase my endurance with my Devil Fruit because I noticed on Thriller Bark that I had not much time before I started reaching my limit. I’ll work on my strength when we reach Sabaody. We’ll see what comes next.”**

Ell answered, jumping off the weight as she heard some commotion going on down on the deck. She saw Zoro put down his weight and she was about to question what he was doing when a panicked voice called out for her.

She turned around and jumped from Zoro’s training room onto the deck her eyes widening when they landed on the mermaid which was leaning on the Sunny’s rail. _Interesting …_ , she thought as she walked towards Nami, who had been the one calling her name.

**“That is Caimie and her pet. We will help them get back Hacchin, and she will show us the way to get to Fishman Island.”**

Ell nodded in understanding and narrowed her eyes at the mermaid, who was watching her with wide eyes. Ell ignored the beautiful being and turned around, just in time to see that everyone was leaning on the railing where Caimie had just been and was watching something.

**“Sooo … mermaids can talk to fishes, huh? Doesn’t really surprise me much.”**

Ell commented as she watched the crew excitedly point at the fishes, who were going to lead them to the Archipelago. While her crew talked with Caimie and the pet starfish, whose name she still hadn’t caught, Ell marched towards her room and towards her closet.

She wanted a change of clothes, since she was growing sick of her current attire. Taking out a pair of dark violet shorts, she threw her previous attire in the closet. She quickly took out a with V-neck t-shirt and a brown belt. After throwing those on, she quickly threw on a black choker with a long silver necklace, where her two pieces of wood morphed into one and took up the shape of a star.

She quickly took out a black coat and a pair of dark mauve socks and put them on as well. She changed the form of her bag as she tightened it around her waist, where it nestled well in the curve of her hip.

She pushed the arms of her coat to her elbows and quickly put on a pair of black combat boots, before exiting her room and marching towards the deck, where the rest of her crew was at the moment.

**“NOT IN THE SEA!! LOOK UP!”**

As Ell heard the starfish yell, she barged up on the deck, her eyes narrowing at the flying fishes who were coming this way. She quickly jumped onto the railing and used Adam’s wood to stop the explosions from seriously hurting the Sunny.

**“ELL!”**

Ell looked to the side to see that everyone was looking at her in wonder and she raised her eyebrows at their expressions. Nami was the first one to appear beside her, and she looked at her incredulously.

**“Did you really change while we were up here, listening to Caimie and Pappagg?”**

Ell nodded slowly and jumped out of the way as the navigator tried to kick her off the board. She ignored the seething woman and pointed at the nearing island, not so far away from where they were currently sailing.

**“This ‘Hacchin’ is most likely over there, no?”**

She asked, and the whole attention shifted from her towards the nearing island, which was mainly made out of wood. _It was as if they wanted me to get an advantage …_ , Ell thought amusedly as she watched her crew talk and tried to pinpoint the location of their attackers.

**“IT IS REALLY YOU!!”**

Ell snapped out of her thoughts, reprimanding herself when she realized that she had lost herself in her search for their attackers, which she has found were hiding just below the sea surface. _Which is smart, but only if they can hide their presence from observation Haki users …_ , Ell thought as she marched towards Luffy, who was yelling at Hachi that he won’t save him.

**“An old enemy, huh?”**

Ell mumbled under her breath as she took her time to look the Fishman up and down. _He looks relatively harmless, yet he seems to be quite protective of his friends …_ , Ell realized as she listened to the chaos that was surrounding her at the moment.

**“Hachi’s alright. We can save him since we did promise Caimie that we would help.”**

While Sanji swooned over Nami’s decision to help Hachi, even though he somehow has been one of her torturers in the past and Ell smiled at the orange-haired woman, admiration hidden in her eyes.

She knew that if it was up to her, even if she promised Caimie or anyone to help someone and that someone turned out to be the one who destroyed her past, she wouldn’t have saved him. Or forgiven him. She was too revengeful for that.

**“Alright, let’s save Caimie, her pet, and Octo-boy.”**

Ell laughed at that and shook her head at her Captain’s silliness, but she lifted her hand to stop her crew from doing anything. Everyone’s attention as on the informant, who was looking around with a lazy smile.

**“The Flying Fish Riders are below the water, surrounding the whole island over there. Be careful and make sure to beat them up, huh?”**

Ell drawled out, and Luffy smiled, catapulting himself to save Caimie and her pet. Hachi was yelling at them that the Flying Fish Riders were surrounding them, but the Strawhat crew ignored him as they all readied themselves for battle.

**“This is gonna be hella interesting. Want to see who can beat more, Zoro, Sanji?”**

Ell asked teasingly, her eyes glinting with mischievous intent. Zoro snorted at her comment, while the cook swooned at her, making the woman roll her eyes with fond exasperation. Before anyone could comment on her question, flying fishes appeared out of the water surrounding the Sunny.

Ell hummed happily as she created a bridge from the ship to the island, making many of the isle itself disappear. She heard the confused shouts of their attackers, but all she did was move to walk over the bridge, leaving the fight over the Sunny to them and letting her take care of the other ones.

**“You must be very naïve if you think that we will let you get away from the fight so easily, girly!”**

Ell continued to hum as they dived in for her, lazily dodging all of their attacks, her eyes still closed and her body still moving forward. She could feel their annoyance at her way of fighting, which was clearly showing them that she wasn’t thinking of them as a challenge.

**“DIE!!” “ELL-CHWAANNNN!”**

Ell opened one of her eyes to see that Sanji was leaning over the railing, looking at her with wide eyes and ready to interfere when a big, burly guy, with a huge club coming her way. A cold smile appeared on her lips as she disappeared from where she stood and reappeared behind the big guy, her hand up in a fist.

**“Don’t underestimate those who ignore you, biggie.”**

Ell punched the guy with a lot of force, going right through his club and landing on his face, making the rider fall from his fish and land in the water with a loud clash. The fish fell onto the bridge that she had created, and she simply kicked it off as she continued to walk towards the small island.

**“Ell-chwan is just so coooool ~~~.”**

Ell didn’t glance a second time in Sanji’s direction, but a smile was playing on her lips nonetheless. Ell jumped off the bridge and landed beside Zoro who was arguing about something with Hachi.

Ell tilted her head to the side, not seeing much to what was happening when she heard Luffy yell something. She leisurely lifted her head and saw him crashing into the biggest house on the island. Ell raised an eyebrow at the worried cry that left Luffy’s lips but didn’t let it bother her either way.

Ell narrowed her eyes in Zoro’s direction when she noticed that he was panting heavily. _He must still be affected by the amount of pain that he had to take in when he sacrificed himself …_ , Ell thought darkly, her gaze quickly landing on Brook who was watching him with worry as well.

Ell huffed at that and moved to slash the enemy who was going to attack them, but Hachi appeared before her and did it instead. Ell narrowed her eyes at the Fishman and huffed again, not liking that he took away her prey.

**“He’s coming back, idiot, look out.”**

Even though the informant warned the Fishman, he was still shocked to see their attacker come back and Ell didn’t even try to move a muscle when she saw that both Brook and Zoro were already on it.

She winced, however, when she heard the sound of wood being destroyed, her head snapping in the direction that she had seen Luffy crash. Ell narrowed her eyes at the place where Luffy suddenly appeared out of when a man on a huge bison made his appearance.

**“This glorious day, today! That man whom I’ve wanted kill and kill is right here in front of me, before my eyes!! Thank you!! There really must be a god out there!”**

Ell tilted her head to the side as she noticed that he was looking towards the ship, his voice portraying his need for vengeance quite well. She blew out a breath as she moved towards the bridge, which as still present and lazily walked back towards the ship, not feeling like being productive anymore.

Nobody seemed to notice her as the big man continued to talk and talk about how much he wanted to kill the man who destroyed his life, his dream and everything that he had been fighting for.

**“’BLACK LEG’ SANJI!! I’ve wanted to meet you!”**

Ell froze in her steps before the Sunny as she heard the man yell out Sanji’s name. _I know that many may hate Sanji, but the amount of hatred in that big boss’ voice is too deep for it to be something trivial …_ , Ell mused as she hopped onto the ship, her eyes wandering around, to see if any damage had been made to it.

Apart from some superficial scratches, Ell noted with satisfaction that nothing bad had happened to the ship. Nodding to herself, she turned just in time to see a wave of harpoons being thrown their way.

The Sunny had quickly protected her and Ell remained where she stood several harpoons stopping mere millimeters from where she stood, the wall of wood stopping them from touching her, even though most of the wood was starting to melt because of the poison that had been coated on the weapons.

**“Ell!! Why didn’t you move?!”**

Ell looked to the side watching Nami, Usopp, and Chopper looking at her with wide eyes. Ell lifted an eyebrow at their expression and shrugged.

**“I didn’t see the need to do so.”**

Ell moved out of the way as Nami tried to kick her with her tempo stick and chuckled at the aggravated look that she was throwing her way.

**“Chill, Nami. There’s another wave of harpoons coming this way, though, you might want to hide.”**

Nami’s eyes widened at Ell’s statement, and she quickly scrambled away as the harpoons hit the Sunny once again. Ell glared at the poisonous tips and quickly took them out of the Sunny, dumping them in the ocean, right after.

Just as she was about to kick the last harpoon in the ocean, she heard the big boss yell out in pain, and her head snapped up to see that Luffy had kicked off his mask and was showing them what was beneath it.

For a long moment, Ell remained quiet, and her eyes tried to make sense from what she was seeing, but as soon as her brain registered what she was seeing, she coughed harshly, trying to muffle the laugh that wanted to escape her.

 _Omg … he looks exactly like Sanji’s wanted poster!!_ , Ell snickered internally, hearing the Sunny’s melody turn funny as her mood changed. Ell watched the big boss – Duval if she remembered correctly – cry in Sanji’s direction who was running his way at full speed.

**“Give me back my lif – BOBEH!”**

Ell snickered as she watched Sanji kick the man in the face and she leaned against the huge mast to watch the fight between their cook and Duval. Her attention was quickly taken away from the fight as the Flying Fish Riders appeared from the sea with a huge anchor attached to all of them.

Ell was going to jump in and deflect the attack, but the Sunny’s voice stopped her. She looked down curiously and listened to what he had to say.

_ Don’t worry about me, let Franky deal with dodging the anchor. _

Ell raised an eyebrow at that but followed his order nonetheless as she leaned back against the mast and watched Franky dodge the anchor with the Sunny.

**“ _Chicken Voyage_!”**

Ell chuckled at that name and watched with fascination as the ship was thrown backward because of the Sunny’s rolling man and the anchor sink in the sea, missing them. Before anyone could react, Franky had already prepared for another attack and smirked devilishly as the Sunny’s mouth opened widely.

**“ _GAON CANNON_!”**

Ell smiled, even though pain rocketed through her body as the wooden island was destroyed with the attack and she was about to look back when she heard Chopper yell in fright about the bull’s horns not reaching him.

Ell lifted an amused eyebrow as she marched towards the front of the Sunny, her eyes scanning her surroundings, only to see that Luffy was stopping the bull with his bare hands and looked at the animal with narrowed eyes.

The bull quickly fell unconscious, and Ell’s eyes widened as she recognized the reason why immediately, her lips twitching as she fought a proud smile. _Luffy has the ability of the conqueror ... I knew that I had made the right choice to follow him._ , Ell thought happily as she leaned back and ignored the crew’s reaction to Luffy’s easy win against the massive animal.

Ell sighed and yawned as a sudden wave of drowsiness washed over her, but she blinked the tiredness away as she heard Sanji attack Duval once again.

**“ _Parage Shot_!”**


	30. Sabaody Archipelago: The Final Stop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys,
> 
> This is a small warning just before you continue: I will most likely not update my fanfiction in the next month or so because I have a very important paper to give back and it will need my full attention for the entire month if not more. 
> 
> so yeah, you could say that the story is in momentary hiatus, but will very soon be updated again or when I'm done with my paper. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter and see you soon!

**“Luffy, calm down. There is enough takoyaki for everyone.”**

Ell mumbled annoyed as she took another Takoyaki in her mouth. She rolled her eyes when she heard the Captain mumbled incoherently and was going to take another one when Luffy took it away from her. Ell let out a heavy sigh and walked away from the table, not liking the way Luffy was fighting her and anyone else over some takoyakis.

Ell yawned out loudly, feeling herself growing tired at the discussion about food and she jumped back onto the ship, sitting down near Franky, Robin, and Zoro who were drinking and eating with one another.

As she sat down, she leaned against the box that Robin was sitting on and closed her eyes after letting out a long and heavy sigh. She had a bad feeling forming in the pit of her stomach, but she just couldn’t pinpoint from where or why it was there.

**“YOUNG MASTER!”**

Ell groaned at the sound of Duval’s voice, as she had hoped to not hear from him ever again, but she knew that she had no choice in that matter. He was very much like a leech, always chasing after them. Even more, now that Sanji had hit him so hard in the face that he had restructured it and that he was now an overly arrogant boy.

 _There so no way that someone like him can be called a man … maybe with a different personality?_ , Ell thought curiously, but ignored her thought and ignored what was happening around her, even as she distantly noted that Duval was making arrogant assumptions and Usopp was seconds away from murdering him.

**“This is my den-den mushi number, accept it grate–“**

Before Duval could finish his sentence, Ell had snatched away the piece of paper and pocketed it in her newest outfit and ignored the confused looks that she was getting from everyone around her. A dangerous smile hovered over her lips as she tilted her head back looking straight at Duval as she spoke.

**“Thank you; I’ll know who to call if I need a shield.”**

Duval quickly recovered from his shock and was about to answer with an arrogant reply, but Ell let the Sunny kick him overboard and making him crash into his bull. Another yawn flew past Ell’s lips as she sat back down beside Robin and went back to napping.

Slowly, but surely the whole ship started to lose in energy as they finished eating and begun cleaning everything. Afterward, Sanji began to prepare tea and place a big table in the middle of the deck, to serve it.

Ell had shifted and was now leaning against the mast, her eyes dropping more and more. _What the fuck is happening? I never felt so tired in my life …_ , Ell wondered as she frowned, her lids still closed.

_ It’s your body’s way of handling all the stress that you have put it in these last months … it’s not used to it. _

Ell let out a frustrated sigh as she listened Caimie and her pet – she still hadn’t remembered his name– explain the route that they were going to take to the rest of the crew. Even though she had never walked on any island in the New World, she could remember having met some nice men and women who had explained to her how to reach it. Before attacking her and trying to get her head, but she had taken care of them.

**“What’s up with those?!”**

At Usopp’s surprised yell, Ell opened her eyes, and she smiled as they saw the bubbles for the first time.

**“Well, these never sink under the water! Sabaody Archipelago is a forest of the world’s biggest Mangrove trees – _the Yarukiman Mangrove_.”**

Ell slowly stood up at that and marched towards the very front of the boat, having the Sunny relay to her what they are talking about as she was out of ear reach. She inhaled deeply and enjoyed the clean smell of the air and most of all the beautiful melody of the trees.

Well, maybe not that wonderful. She could hear sharp undertones, which were connotations to something terrible happening and they were as regular as the beating of her heart. It made Ell frown as they anchored, having only half-heartedly listened to what Hachi was saying as she knew most of it already.

**“Never forget the number! And don’t get lost.”**

Ell laughed as she heard Zoro’s indignant response as most of the crew looked at him pointedly, and she loosened up slightly, but it still didn’t change the fact that she was tense from the horrid musical undertone that she was hearing.

 _One of the things that I really wish this Devil Fruit would allow is to be able to tune out the tree’s melody …_ , Ell thought as she jumped off the ship and decided to do a crazy thing. She took off her mauve socks and her combat boots and let the ship put them back in her room. She ignored the surprised looks and shrugged off her coat as well, putting it in her backpack, where only her den-den mushis and a small notebook with a pen lied. Some money was there as well, in case she needed it.

**“Won’t you get cold, Ell?”**

Ell looked back as Caimie approached her and she smiled at the younger woman.

**“Don’t worry, Caimie; I’ll be fine. I just like to do that when huge amounts of trees surround me. It helps me feel them better.”**

Caimie looked doubtful but nodded nonetheless. Ell smiled as she looked up and saw that Luffy was jumping on the bubbles without care. However, her easy mood deteriorated when she heard the music sharpen to a very high degree and she had to grit her teeth together at the sound.

 _I hate the fact that such a beautiful island can hide so many horrors …_ , Ell growled in her mind as she shook her head and quickly put on an expressionless façade. She wouldn’t be able to deal with those sounds any other way.

**“But in return for all of this, I want you all to promise me one thing.”**

The grave tone in Hachi’s voice snapped Ell out of her dark thoughts, and she narrowed her eyes at the Fishman as he lifted a finger and spoke darkly.

**“No matter what might happen in town, you have to promise me that you will never defy the World Nobles! Even if they kill people before your eyes! You just have to pretend that you didn’t see anything.”**

A pregnant pause hovered over the crew and Ell froze entirely at that sound. At that moment, her anger took over her facial expression, and it’s only because Chopper had squeaked in fear as he saw it, that everyone turned to her.

She was glaring right back at Hachi, who was looking at her with wide eyes, obviously not expecting such a violent reaction from the normally ‘calm’ Ell.

**“I’m sorry, Hachi, but I will promise no such a thing to you. Never. I can’t.”**

Hachi tried to speak, but Ell simply cut him off with a cold look.

**“You’ll have to hope that I won’t meet any on my walk.”**

With that, the dark blue-haired woman left, leaving a heavy silence reign over the crew. It was, however, quickly replaced as Luffy went back to being his usual goofy self. The crew quickly gathered and decided on who was going to remain on the ship and who was going to go for a walk.

Ell, on the other hand, was still fuming as she roamed the whole island, her eyes wandering around. _I’m happy I decided to come here alone … it will allow me some time to think and reflect on what I should do next …_

Ell was walking on Grove 13 when she felt an interesting melody come from the middle of the grove. Curious, she followed it and stared at the lone bar, something about it feeling wrong, but right at the same time. Shrugging it off, she marched into the bar and nodded approvingly as she noticed that it was practically empty.

After ordering a strong drink from the bar from the nice barwoman, she sat down at one of the seats near the window and enjoyed the view sipping on her drink. She felt the woman’s eyes on her as she knew that the barwoman knew that she was aware that the lady was watching her, but Ell didn’t let that bother her as she sipped on her drink.

**“Is there anything that I can help you with?”**

Ell asked suddenly, making the older woman blink rapidly. Maybe she hadn’t expected for Ell to speak up, but if Ell had to be honest with herself, she had begun to grow nervous under her stare.

**“Well, I wasn’t expecting to see one of the twelve supernovas to appear in my bar. Even less you.”**

Ell looked up from her drink and decided to change her place, and she slowly walked towards the bar, where the older lady was standing behind. An interested smile was playing on her lips as she sat down on one of the chairs, her drink on the long desk in front of her.

**“Supernovas? Yeah, I’ve heard about them, or shall I say us? Either way, is it really that surprising to see us here when it is our key stop to reach the New World finally?”**

 

Ell caught the dangerous glint in the woman’s eyes, and she had an exciting feeling about the woman. Now that she genuinely listened, the melody of her bar was harmonious but filled with a tremendous amount of power.

Ell shivered as the name ‘Rayleigh’ was whispered over and over again and she already had a feeling as to which Rayleigh the wood was singing about. To make it even more freaky, the whole wood was impregnated in his energy and aura.

 _I have the feeling of having him stand just beside me …_ _Damn it, if it doesn’t make me uncomfortable as hell._ , Ell thought as she sipped on her drink once again, waiting for the woman before her to speak. A small laugh escaped the bar owner, and Ell lifted an eyebrow in question.

**“You seem to be quite well-informed, Traitor-chan.”**

Had it been anyone else, she would have taken this as an insult, however the way that the bar owner had spoken, she knew that it was only a nickname. Thus she smiled and spoke her mind, not at all scared to face the woman.

**“If I want to continue my adventure, knowledge will be my biggest weapon.”**

Her eyes glinted once again, but this time she was able to identify it as being appreciative. Their discussion was over, and Ell continued to sip on her drink, lost in the surrounding melody. She wanted to ask about Rayleigh, but something told her that right now was not the suitable moment.

**“ELL! What are you doing here?”**

Ell sighed over the rim of her drink and looked back in time to see the bartender kick some pirates out of her bar, and she smiled at that. Her eyes quickly landed on her over-energized captain who was now looking at her with big eyes.

**“I was wandering around and found this bar. I was quite interested in its melody, to be honest. And what about you?”**

Ell noted that the bar owner – Shakky – was distantly listening to what she was talking about, but she did not let it bother her. She was more entertained by Luffy who was robbing Shakky of her food.

 **“Mpf mgpf mf hrm bmpf hmbgtfmp.”** (We are here for the engineer.)

Ell laughed at Luffy as he spoke a mouthful and nodded. She had understood him after being on board of his ship for months. Now that she thought about it, it was surprising how little time had passed since Enies Lobby. A little bit under two months, if she recalled correctly.

After Shakky asked about Luffy’s grandfather and about the other supernovas, Hachi inquired about Rayleigh and Ell felt another shudder pass through her at the mere thought of meeting such a legend. However, it was not the only reason as to why she shivered in the first place.

**“He’s been missing for half a year now.”**

Ell finished her drink and decided to remain silent as the discussion continued. Luffy and many of the crew were excited about the mere thought of searching through the amusement park for Rayleigh, but Ell had a feeling that the old man wouldn’t be there. Sighing, she stood up and patted Luffy’s head.

**“I’m going out, Luffy, I have still some stuff that I need to see. You know how to reach me, Brook, if the need appears.”**

She nodded at her comrade, quickly paying Shakky before leaving the bar, her face in a frown. _The presence of the other supernovas is seriously unnerving me … Welp, first I need to get to Zoro. I have a feeling that he’s lost at the moment. And I need some food too._

Somewhere on Sabaody, Zoro was indeed lost, unaware of it, and was peacefully sipping on some sake. Sanji was looking after the ship with Usopp and Nami, and Robin were peacefully going through the shops, looking for clothes.

Little did anyone know that their peace wouldn’t last for very long. Not that it did anyway, with Luffy as their captain.


	31. Why can they? Why do they have the right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> I decided to post a new chapter today after the month-long hiatus. I hope I haven't let you wait too long for that chapter and I will try to update weekly if I can, now that I am nearing the end of my important paper. 
> 
> Either way, thank you for the support, and I hope you will enjoy the chapter!
> 
> See ya soon!

Ell was walking through the different groves when her den-den mushi suddenly started to ring. Immediately, Ell assumed the worse as she picked it up, her eyes already observing her surroundings.

**“BWAAAAAAAAHH!!! ELLL!!! CAIMIE HAS BEEN … KIDNAPPED!”**

Ell’s whole world came to a stop as she heard Chopper cry out for her to help them. Behind she could listen to Brook tell Chopper to calm down as Sanji had everything under control, but something told her that it was not the case. As calmly as she could, even though she felt the raging fire of vengeance lighting up her insides, she answered the worried reindeer.

**“Where were you when it happened?”**

Chopper sniffed as he heard the informant’s calm voice and he wondered why she wasn’t yelling at them for losing her. Ell, on the other side of the line, was not mad at all at them for having lost Caimie as she was aware of the discrimination towards the Merfolk.

**“N-near the S-sabaody park …”**

Ell nodded at that and even though Chopper could not see, she remained quiet as she slowly let her connection with the trees take over. Even though she could get an overload of information, she had to risk it as their dear friend was in danger.

She frowned when all the trees could give her were the grove on which she was at the moment and not the exact location. _Whatever, it’s better than nothing … Although it does tell me that I have to work on my connection with the outside if I want to help Luffy achieve his dream._ , Ell thought as she marched towards Grove 1, after having told Chopper to tell Usopp, who she knew was flying his way, where Caimie would be.

**“E-Ell?”**

Ell quietly hummed as she created a multitude of wooden hands and let them take care of the pirates that have thought it would be a good idea. Chopper was quiet on the other end of the line, but she knew that he had realized that there was a fire burning in her soul that would only disappear when they find Caimie.

**“She’s most likely going to be sold as a slave, and if we don’t hurry, she might get bought by a fucking Celestial Dragon. So hurry up, and warn the others. I’m already making my way there.”**

_However … it seems that Grove 1 is being the host of many different influential people … or at least well-known people._ , Ell confirmed to herself as she leisurely walked towards Grove 1, hoping that Zoro would be able to join them somehow.

Ell had the feeling that something bad was coming and the ringing of her den-den mushi only reinforced that feeling. She picked up as her wooden arms continued to beat the pirates around her into the dirt.

**“Yes?”**

**“One-sama … it has been confirmed … Portgas D. Ace was sanctioned to death …”**

Ell froze in her steps as another bad news fell upon her shoulders. She gritted her teeth together and only muttered a small thank you before hanging up and continuing her way. _The amount of anger that has been flowing through my veins cannot be healthy … and what is it with people trying and succeeding to make me so mad?_ , Ell wondered as she disappeared from where she was standing, reappearing further away, now on Grove 1.

 _Why do they feel the need to sell Caimie? Why can’t they just accept that she’s different? Why is the W.G. so fucking corrupted? Why? Why? Why do they need to kill Ace? I get that he’s a pirate and Whitebeard’s second in command …_ , Ell halted in her steps as her anger cleared a little bit, letting her reason take over.

 _They want war with Whitebeard and most likely kill him. That is why there aren’t so many Marines here … They are freaking preparing for war!!_ , Ell sighed at that thought and decided to push it to the side of her mind and focus on rescuing Caimie from the clutches of a Celestial Dragon.

As she reached the auction house, Ell could feel the presence of her comrades in there along with some other more powerful than average people in there. _The most notable is always Rayleigh’s presence … quite good at hiding it, not that he’s trying … if he were, I wouldn’t feel him at all, even with the help of trees and thus wood_ , Ell acknowledged as she entered the large house, making sure to quieten her steps.

**“KYYAAAA!!!”**

Ell cocked her head to the side as she appeared in a huge room, just behind her crewmates. Her eyes landed on the dead pirate, and she felt a numbness start to wash over her at the sight. _Why were humans so cruel? Why?_ , Ell wondered as she listened to Sanji tell the rest of the crew about the man’s action.

**“It’s better to die than to have to live as someone’s slave.”**

Ell’s statement was devoid of any emotion and made all of her crewmates jump in surprise as they hadn’t felt nor heard her coming. Ell noted Eustass ‘Captain’ Kidd’s presence as well as Trafalgar Law’s. It was strange to see those two captains here, but she ignored it as they let the curtain fall over the scene.

**“E-Ell?! What were you thinking?!”**

Ell remained silent as her eyes watched the scene before her, never straying away from it either.

**“They’re going to propose Caimie next.”**

Ell forewarned as she took a step forward, her whole body rigid like a rod. She had been feeling the numbness grow bigger and bigger even though she had tried to stop it, but it was impossible. Before her comrades could question her statement, the announcer took out Caimie, just like the informant had predicted. Her grey eyes followed the mermaid, and all she could feel was numbness. Numbness, which was soon giving place to a huge wave of anger, wrath that was going to take over had the Celestial Dragon not screamed over the excited whisper.

**“500’000’000 berries!!”**

_Half … a billion?_ , Ell thought in shock. As she looked to the side with her eyes, she could see that the rest of the crew has been frozen in despair as they realized that they could not compete. _That leaves us one last option._ ; Ell thought as her hands wandered towards her daggers hidden beneath her coat.

However, she froze in her action as she felt the familiar presence of her captain heading this way. Hachi, who had been watching the dark blue-haired closely, sighed in relief when she let go of her daggers and took some steps back as if awaiting someone’s arrival.

Ell noticed that Eustass was going to leave and she decided to let her curiosity get the best of her, even against the best of her judgment.

 **“Already leaving, Eustass?** ”

Ell asked as she looked back towards the leaving crew. She saw Eustass halt in his steps, his eyes quickly landing on the smirking woman, who had been an emotionless doll just minutes ago. A frown marred his face as he snorted.

**“Of course. It’s becoming boring, all this emotional shit.”**

Ell chuckled at that and looked back towards the front, leaning slightly backward.

**“But you are going to miss the show, Reddy.”**

Ell drawled, gaining his attention immediately. However, his reply was cut short as her Captain’s scream pierced through the house. Ell smirked darkly as she steeled herself, expecting the wave of pain as the wood splintered in a thousand little pieces.

**“Luffy?!!”**

Her crewmates shocked cry did not faze her as she watched Eustass at the corner of her eyes. She saw him eye Luffy, amusement and mock very clear in his expression. Ell snorted at that and let him underestimate her captain knowing that the boy will surprise everyone.

 _Like he does every goddamn time_ , Ell snickered in her mind as she swiftly took out her daggers, ready for the fight that she knew Luffy was going to bring to their door. Before anyone could react, Luffy started running towards the trapped mermaid.

Ell took a step forward as she saw Hachi try and hold back Luffy, but she knew that he was not going to be able to do that. Luffy was too stubborn for that. Ell watched silently as Luffy dragged Hachi towards the beginning of the podium when he suddenly used his other arms to try and stop the Captain. Silence momentarily fell over the whole crowd, but it quickly dissipated when a shrill scream resonated through the entire house.

It started a whole chain reaction towards Hachi and Ell immediately noticed the Celestial Dragon who stood up, his hand on his gun. Reacting quickly, but having no time to use Haki in the whole mess – _another thing that I will have to work on_ , Ell thought subconsciously – she jumped in front of Hachi and coughed as the bullet pierced her stomach.

Ell quickly tugged Hachi with her in front of the Celestial Dragon, to make it seem as if Hachi had been the one who was shot and was the one who fell on the stairs. Hachi was going to protest, but Ell painfully whispered for him to pretend that he was the one who had been shot. After Ell having harshly told him that if he didn’t both of them would die, Hachi’s body went limp and crushed her with his weight.

Since Hachi was both more significant in size and height, he was able to hide Ell’s body under his body quite well. As Ell coughed out blood, she cursed the Celestial Dragon out in her mind as Nami cried out Hachi’s name. She had had enough time to create a doppelgänger who was watching the scene with wide eyes as well. She wanted to make Hachi being wounded seem more realistic.

Ell could hear the whole room let out a sigh of relief, but there was one sound that overpowered the others. Ell could hear Caimie slam her fist against her prison of glass. What she hadn’t expected, was for the Celestial Dragon to take this as a game and shot Hachi multiple times.

**“Hachi!”**

Ell whispered harshly as she felt the bullets pierce through his skin and graze hers. She cursed under her breath when suddenly she saw Luffy’s feet appear in front of her. She gritted her teeth together and pushed Hachi off of her, making everyone gasp at the sight of her. Her doppelgänger disappeared into the floor, and she panted as she created a small wall of wood to push on Hachi’s wound.

Ell felt Luffy stop in front of them as Ell turned Hachi around, making sure that the wood wall that she had created was pushing against both of his sides. Hachi was speaking to Luffy, apologizing for being such a screw up when the Celestial Dragon was going to shoot all of them.

**“Luffy.”**

Luffy nodded as he heard his informant call out for him and she smiled darkly while pointing at the scum of a man standing not far away from him. Luffy’s eyes darkened tremendously at her look, and he nodded before Ell could speak up.

**“Wreck him.”**

And that was all it took for Luffy to walk towards the Celestial Dragon and punch the hell out of him. While most people were horrified by his action, Ell was smirking and stood up, her tank top ruined as it was clear that she had been shot.

As she looked down, she sighed in annoyance before ripping the top off and made a make-shift bandage around her wound. _I’m fortunate that it hit my stomach and not any of my lungs._ , Ell thought as she created a pair of hands which pushed the wood against the fishman’s wound.

Silence reigned over the whole house as everyone gaped in Luffy’s direction. Ell sighed at that and motioned for Nami to take care of Hachi while she cracked her knuckles. Ell turned as she heard Luffy start to speak and apologize for sending an Admiral after them.

Everyone on the crew was smiling at their captain as they all knew what he was like.

**“Don’t worry, Captain. You are just showing the world what you are capable of.”**

Ell smirked evilly, creating a huge amount of arms, which spurred the whole house into panic. Ell laughed at the apparent fear that she had created, but she felt no guilt over that fact. Everyone who sat on this tribune with the intent of buying a life deserves to feel fear. _Well, if it were up to me, they would all die, but I can’t put that much of a bad name on my crew, now can I?_ , Ell thought as she sliced an armored man who was attacking her from behind.

And that was all that was needed for everyone to be pushed to act. Ell smiled as she walked down towards Caimie, while the rest of the crew was fighting the armored men who came after them. Ell smiled kindly in Caimie’s direction as she tilted her head to the side, dodging Zoro’s attack, which freed Caimie halfway.

Suddenly, the announcer jumped in front of her and blocked her way. Ell distantly heard Trafalgar talk with her captain, but the man in front of her entertained her more. She tilted her head to the side, wordlessly inquiring the trembling man what he wanted to with her.

**“What do you think you are doing, scum? I wonder what Doflamingo will say when he hears about this.”**

Ell wondered, liking the way how he tensed up at the notion of his boss’ name leaving her lips. A small chuckle escaped her lips, and she quickly roundhouse kicked him in the face, making the man crash into the wall on her right. Ell felt the Celestial Dragon creep up on her and she quickly kicked the gun out of her hand, smiling when she squealed in fright.

**“You traitor … you were ours …”**

Ell’s whole body froze at what the woman said, and she felt her entire body light up with anger. A cold look crossed her face, and she slammed her leg into the woman’s stomach, making the Celestial Dragon slam into the nearest wall. Ell whirled around in time to see the Father cook a gun in Caimie’s direction and she heard the whole house go still as he screamed that he merely had to kill the mermaid.

Ell was going to create a wall of timber, but she stopped in her track when she felt a wave of conqueror’s Haki slowly move over her. The intensity was nothing that had her worried, but it was the wielder which worried her the most.

**“See, what did I tell you? The place is in total chaos! I stole the money I needed even though I had planned to do so from the one who bought me if I had been lucky enough.”**

Ell watched with wide eyes as the man who could very well be one of the strongest people still alive. He was sauntering with such carelessness that Ell had a difficult time believing who was standing in front of her.

**“I mean, look at me. Who would want an old man as a slave?”**

_Practically no one and that is if they aren’t aware of who you are … but if they are, then absolutely no one._ , Ell thought grimly as she remained on her spot, her wary eyes following the man as he walked towards the front of Caimie’s cage.

**“Rayleigh?!”**


	32. Everywhere we go, only we know

Ell sighed as she watched Rayleigh smile at the sight of Hachi, although she could see the hint of worry in his eyes at the sight of his wounds. Ell rolled her eyes when he asked where he had those wounds, and she refrained herself from muttering under her breath since she knew that Rayleigh would most likely be able to hear her.

She watched the old man look around, his eyes analyzing everything in his surroundings. Ell remained emotionless as his eyes landed on her as well as on her ripped top. He hummed at that and looked back towards the front as a smirk appeared on his lips.

**“So you guys saved him, huh?”**

Ell lifted a questioning eyebrow at the old man, even though she was in awe in front of his deduction skills. And a little bit jealous, but she scolded herself at that. The old man had decades to perfect his Haki skills. While she only had 7 years and she was on the run for 4 of those.  

Ell gritted her teeth together as she felt Rayleigh use a more powerful amount of conqueror’s Haki, making everyone fall unconscious, except for the three pirate crews. _Damn, that is some fine Haki control right there._ , Ell thought as she rolled her shoulders walking towards Caimie, her eyes warily wandering over to the older man.

**“And that Straw hat, it certainly suits a fearless man like yourself. I’ve been wanting to meet you, Monkey D. Luffy.”**

Ell sighed as she looked at the collar and she quickly found the opening of the lock. Ell put in a small piece of wood, quickly molding it to the lock’s form. Another sigh left her as the collar fell into the water, splashing her with water. Ell shook her head and nodded as Caimie thanked her.

**“Dammit, I just managed to find the keys and all!”**

Ell ignored Franky as she moved towards the Celestial Dragon who she had slammed into the nearest wall before, her eyes darkening at the sight of her unconscious body. She had a feeling that the woman had something that she might need later on and when she went through her robe, she found exactly what she was searching for.

 _A message from the Top … it’s as if they knew that I was going to go ballistic on that Celestial Dragon …_ , Ell thought darkly as she stood up the letter in her hand, while the other one was balled into a fist. She let out a heavy sigh and put the letter in her backpack as Chopper came running to her.

**“ELL!! YOU ARE HEAVILY HURT!!”**

Ell raised an eyebrow but did not complain as the small doctor started to take care of her wounds. As he was done, Ell marched towards the rest of the crew as Hachi called out for her. Ell turned her head and nodded, showing the Fishman that she was listening.

**“Thank you.”**

Ell let out a small laugh at that and nodded in the fishman’s direction, her eyes lightening up slightly at the sight of him talking. _Thank god he’s safe. I don’t know what I would have done, had he been killed on top of me._ , Ell thought as she moved to stop beside Nami, distantly listening to the discussion that was going on around her.

She was so lost in thought that she didn’t notice Luffy, Kidd, and Law leave the auction house to take care of the Marines who were surrounding the place. A quiet hum entered her mind, and she tensed at it, her sharp eyes immediately flying in the direction that she heard it coming from.

**_Who would have thought that you would dare go against your masters, *****?_ **

Ell froze, her eyes wide with fear as she heard a voice that she had hoped she would never have to hear again. She quickly closed her eyes, concentrating on her emotions to look them up in a box. That Voice fed upon emotions such as fear, and she was not going to allow it to control her. Not again. She remained silent as she waited for the Voice to continue speaking.

**_Well? Aren’t you going to answer me? *****?_ **

Ell did not hear her friends call out her name as she was concentrating on the Voice’s location more than on her surroundings. She did not notice Rayleigh slowly approach her, nor did she notice the worried looks that were sent her way by her crew.

**_You won’t find me, little slave. But we will find you. And we will make sure that you remember who you belong to by teaching you a much-needed lesson._ **

Ell snarled at that, and her eyes snapped open as she created a wall of wood in front of her, blocking the Voice’s attack. Ignoring her friends and everyone who was watching her, she lifted one arm and coated it with armament Haki.

**“Touch my friends, and I will not hesitate to decimate you. And nothing will stop me either.”**

Ell punched the marionette who had appeared after the wall was destroyed straight in the face, making the puppet fly into the nearest wall. Ell glared as she quickly reappeared in front of it and pinned the marionette to the wall with one hand, the other one grabbing its artificial heart.

**“And I do not belong to anyone anymore.”**

Ell snarled as she ripped the puppet’s heart out. She was breathing heavily as she watched it dissolve into nothing and she let out a deep sigh as it disappeared, much like the Voice’s presence. Ell remained where she was for seconds before moving her arms to get her muscles to loosen up. The informant looked to the side to see that everyone was watching her with wide eyes, but she ignored that as she pointed her hand in the direction of the door.

**“We really need to get out of here if we want to escape the Admiral’s attention.”**

Ell spoke clearly, her feelings still locked away as everyone nodded. She noticed that Rayleigh was watching her with pensive eyes, but she decided that right now was not the moment to get into a confrontation with the legendary ‘Dark King’. She had better things to do.

–

With the help of Duval and his gang, the Strawhats quickly reached Grove 13 and Ell could hear the worry seep into Chopper’s voice as he explained that he needed to stabilize Hachi. At that, the doctor quickly looked in Ell’s direction, but he saw her staring off in the distance, a frown on her face.

Ell sighed as she did not feel the Voice’s presence again and she slowly let her emotions go. She frowned as she began to feel again and she realized that she hated having to become an emotionless doll.

 _I guess I have been one for way too long and I began to treasure them …_ , Ell thought, as she distantly noted that everyone had entered Shakky’s rip-off bar. Ell lifted her head and closed her eyes, opening her mind to the melody of the trees. It has been a long time since she solely concentrated on their song and didn’t push it to the back of her mind.

She smiled as she was suddenly sucked into a world of wordless melody and she could only concentrate on that. It was all she heard, but not all she felt. She was suddenly able to perceive the entire archipelago and what is happening everywhere.

She could see the pain, the misery, the happiness, the sadness, the anger, the violence, the fake, the hearts, the emotions, the buildings and … a child crying, another one laughing, a mother comforting her son, a father hugging his daughter, a person hurting a woman, another one abusing a child, a murderer killing his victim, another one torturing her victim, she could see all the injustice, the wrong, the distress, the greedy, the proud, the lustful, the passer, the selfish … but she could also see the empathetic, the compassionate, the helper, the healer, the selfless, the savior, the happy, the dreamer … she could see it all. All of it flooded in her brain.

She could see the TRUTH.

A hand landed on her shoulder, which snapped her out of her trance and she opened her eyes to see that Rayleigh was the one who had put his hand on her shoulder. She breathed out and shook herself as she tried to comprehend what she had just witnessed. _I guess that just reinforced what I had thought previously … I have so much more to discover about my devil fruit …_

Rayleigh remained silent as he watched the younger woman look down on her hands, a determined look appearing on her face. He nodded and went back into the bar, hearing the informant follow him.

Ell looked up as she entered the bar and she was immediately tackled by Chopper who dragged her to where Hachi was lying and ordered her to remain still as he washed her wounds.

**“’The Voice of all Things’, huh?”**

Ell’s head snapped up as she heard Robin mutter that and she raised an eyebrow at that. She frowned when she realized that it meant something to her, but she shrugged it away as she sat down beside Hachi.

Ell closed her eyes and ignored the discussion around her as she fished out the letter from the Top that she had taken from the Celestial Dragon. As she opened her eyes, she moved her hands to open the message, Luffy’s scream made her freeze mid-step.

**“USOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPP!!”**

Ell jumped as she looked up with wide eyes, having been too lost in her own world to listen to the rest of the discussion, but she quickly deduced that Usopp must have said something that did not sit well with their captain to have him yell at him like that.

**“We are not asking him where the treasure is hidden! We’re not even asking him whether there is any treasure!”**

Ell shook her head at Usopp as she straightened her posture and smiled at her Captain.

**“I’m not sure, but everybody set out to sea, risking their lives to search for it! If you ask this old man anything about it here and now … Then I will quit being a pirate!”**

Ell saw Rayleigh’s proud smile, and she could not stop her smile as she sighed happily.

**“I don’t want to go on a boring adventure like that!”**

_And that is why I follow you, Luffy. I’m so proud of that one decision I decided to make in a moment of weakness …_ , Ell thought as she chuckled at his statement. Usopp immediately apologized, having realized that he had made a mistake and she was grateful for what she saw before her.

 _I cannot allow any of them to die. I … can’t believe it … Luffy … you really are special …_ , Ell acknowledged as she patted Chopper’s head in thanks.

**“Can you really conquer this ultimate sea, Luffy?”**

Ell looked up as she could already read Luffy’s response at that question. Ell put the letter back in her bag, quickly forgetting about its existence as she watched the scene unfurling in front of her. 

**“I don’t want to conquer anything; I just believe that the guy with the most freedom in this whole ocean is the Pirate King.”**

After the discussion between the crew and the former first mate of Roger’s crew, Rayleigh gave every one of them a part of his Vivre Card and told them to try and survive on the island for 3 days before their ship is coated with what is needed to reach Fishmen island.

As they left the bar, leaving behind Hachi, Caimie and her star pet, the whole crew was leisurely talking with one another and Ell was laughing at Chopper for making a fuss about her, when a familiar presence reached her mind. Ell’s head snapped up in time to see Kuma stand in front of them. She narrowed her eyes at the Warlord, gulping as she could feel dread pooling in her stomach.

**“Who are you?”**

Ell glanced in Luffy’s direction but frowned when she noticed that there was something different about him than last time. As she glanced in Zoro’s direction, she knew that he must have had the same thought because confusion swirled in his eyes as he glared at the man before them.

Ell quickly jumped out of the way when she saw a beam shoot their way and she quickly summoned a giant soldier and used it to attack Kuma at the same time that Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji did. Ell’s head snapped up as she suddenly felt the presence of Kizaru on the island, her eyes widening as she felt the destruction that followed each and every one of his attacks in her body.

 _Kizaru … and he’s coming this way!!!_ , Ell thought, her eyes widening in dread as she turned around only to see Zoro fall to the ground in pain. Ell landed beside him, and she looked at her destroyed wooden soldier in pain.

**“We need to get out of here … An admiral is coming our way!”**

Ell mumbled as she took out her two daggers, quickly checking her bag before propelling herself towards the fake Kuma, her daggers coated with armament Haki as she clashed with him several times. Ell slashed him well, and she quickly dodged his hand as a beam tried to hit her.

**“Not today …”**

_That sound … it’s the same as Vegapunk’s creations …_ , Ell thought distressed as she let the Monster Trio take care of him. She sighed as she noticed that he wasn’t moving anymore and she walked towards the unmoving body stopping beside Sanji as she looked down on his mechanic body.

**“PX-4?”**

Ell’s gaze snapped to the fake Kuma’s neck as she saw that there was indeed a PX-4 engraved in his skin. _So, he IS a creation from Vegapunk …_ , Ell thought as she sighed and walked towards Zoro, who she noticed was still suffering from his injuries. _That idiot is pushing himself too much …_ , Ell thought exasperated, but couldn’t help the small smile that appeared on her lips at that.

**“UGH! You assholes really piss me off!”**

Ell tensed at the new voice, and she felt dread curse through her body at the sight of another fake Kuma and a round man with a huge battle axe in front of them. Ell quickly entered in a fighting position, her eyes wandering all over the place as she felt Kizaru near the grove that they were on.

 _If we want to survive, we’ll have to run. There is no way that we can take on an Admiral right now with another fake Kuma … Pacifista, as Sentoumaru called it._ , Ell thought, frowning as she half listened to what Sentoumaru said. She was mainly concentrating on Kizaru’s approaching presence.

**“We need to split up!”**

After that, everything went down so fast that Ell had a hard time following. First, Luffy decided to split up, and Ell decided to go her own way as she heard Luffy tell them to meet back at the Sunny in three days. She froze, however, when she felt Kizaru land in Zoro’s direction, and her head snapped in his direction, only to see an explosion appear where he was.

Ell gritted her teeth as she jumped in his direction, but stopped when she saw him lying on the floor unmoving, Kizaru standing on him, one of his feet lifted and ready to kill Zoro.

**“NOO!”**

Ell screamed as she pushed herself off her feet, ready to intercept the kick when Rayleigh suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Ell skipped to a stop, relief flowing in her body as she watched Rayleigh stop Kizaru.

**“USOPP, BROOK, ELL!! GRAB ZORO AND RUN!!”**

Ell jumped in action and quickly snatched Zoro from beneath Kizaru’s feet, but the Admiral was quick to react, much like the dark blue-haired woman. Ell threw Zoro in Usopp’s direction as she dodged Kizaru’s kick, watching with wide eyes as Rayleigh used a sword to stop it again.

**“Go, Ell.”**

That was all Ell needed to run away, her pride hurting, but acknowledging the fact that she could not face them right now, even with her limited knowledge on Haki. Especially because of her limited knowledge on Haki.

**“EVERYONE! ONLY THINK ABOUT GETTING AWAY! RIGHT NOW, WE CAN’T BEAT THESE GUYS!”**

Ell sighed and followed Brook and Usopp as they ran away with Zoro in Usopp’s arms. Ell panted as she felt her wounds open again, but she ignored them as she concentrated on getting away from PX-1, Sentoumaru, and Kizaru.

As PX-1 went after them, Brook tried to stop him, but he was quickly blasted away. Ell gritted her teeth as she created a huge amount of wooden hands and glared at the Pacifista in front of her.

**“ _HANDS OF HELL!_ ”**

Ell gritted her teeth together as the wooden hands came down on the Pacifista, stopping the machine in its trajectory and leaving enough time for Usopp to leave.

**“USOPP! RUN!”**

Ell screamed as she clashed with the machine’s hand, her eyes narrowing as she saw it start to glow. She quickly used the hand to jump out of the way and kicked the machine away at the same time that Sanji did.

Ell narrowed her eyes at the cook as she saw him roll on the floor, his face scrunched up in pain. Ell was about to ask for him, but she had no time as the Pacifista prepared his beam.

**“SANJI!”**

Ell cried out his name as the beam transpierced his shoulder and hitting Usopp and Zoro at the same time. Ell’s head snapped in Chopper’s direction as she saw him run away and she screamed at him not to do it as he bit down upon a small candy.

As he transformed, Ell yelped as several beams went through her body, making the informant fall onto the ground, panting as she felt pain flare up all over her body. She felt her consciousness slowly start to fade and come back and the next thing she knew, was that Zoro disappeared as he was hit by the real Kuma’s palm.

Her mouth stood wide open as she watched her friends disappearing before her eyes one after the other, her mind slowly recollecting what was happening to them. She could not hear what was being said. All she could do was watch was them disappear.

_No …_

Ell slowly stood up, gaining the attention of Sentoumaru. Her hair was hiding her face as she looked down, tears pooling at the edge of her eyes.

_No._

Ell created a giant hand which slammed into Sentoumaru, sending the Marine flying into the mangrove trees. She quickly lifted her hand and wines surrounded the bigger man and refraining him from moving.

_No!_

Ell disappeared from where she was standing, her mind in shambles as she went after Kuma, all the images of her friends disappearing flashing in her mind over and over again. Only Luffy and she were left. Only Luffy … and her … were left …

_NO!_

Ell’s head snapped up as Kuma appeared before her and a deranged laugh left her lips as she slammed her palms on the floor, huge wines of wood appearing in her surrounding, all of them coated in armament Haki as they went down on Kuma. A blood curling scream left her lips as she was reminded of the genocide of her island, the presence of her friends disappearing from her mind so familiar, but so horrifying.

However, Ell was still not strong enough to fight Kuma as he reappeared in front of her, his palm already lifted in the air as Luffy screamed out her name. Ell slowly lifted her head, and she took a good look at the warlord’s stoic face.

**“Why?”**

That was all that could escape her lips as the warlord’s palm came down upon her and her world went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man! I'm finally reaching the part of One Piece I love the most!! Either way, thank you for reading my fanfiction, and I genuinely hope that you enjoy Ell's journey as much as I do.
> 
> And I really hope I'm putting as much mysteriousness in the story as I believe I am XD
> 
> So yeah, I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> Bye ~


	33. In Two Years

Ell was dimly aware that she was flying somewhere, but she was swimming in and out of consciousness the whole time. She barely noticed the shift in the air as she neared an island. She barely noticed the familiar presence. She barely noticed anything as she landed amongst already destroyed houses, blacking out upon impact.

–

It was the soft whisper of the wind that woke up Ell from her unconscious state. She let her body slowly wake up as she pushed herself up, her hands immediately flying to her bag, which was luckily still strapped upon her shoulders, much like her daggers.

 _Thank god, that is still left … Now, where are the re–_ , Ell froze mid-thought as everything that had happened flashed in her mind and pain flared back up to life. Ell gritted her teeth together as she pushed herself off the debris that she had been sitting upon.

 _That’s right, Kuma dispersed us …_ , Ell thought gravely as she walked out of the destroyed house. As she reached the border of the house, Ell looked up and froze in surprise at the sight of the island, which quickly made her realize where she was.

_No … way …_

Ell slowly looked around, her eyes taking in all the changes and all the familiar places where she could remember playing when she was younger. _I’m on … Gabrie …_ , Ell thought in awe as she heard the familiar melody that she had missed so much.

 **“I missed this island so much … I wonder if the old turtle is still alive.** ”

Ell spoke calmly as she walked towards the edge of the island, where she remembered having taken the boat to escape. She sat down on the cliff, a small nostalgic smile on her lips as she thought about how life was before the massacre. How it was before the World Government decided that this island was too much of a threat to let it live.

**“Hey, old turtle, are you going to continue ignoring me?”**

Ell spoke quietly, watching the water start to move, alongside the island, which trembled under the grumble that the old turtle was emitting. She chuckled as she heard the distinctive sound that he made every time that someone woke him up.

**“ _You do have some guts, little one, to call me after what happened.”_**

Ell smiled at that, and she watched with fondness as his giant head came out of the water, his beady eyes immediately landing on her. However, she knew precisely why she had called out the old turtle.

**“I need your help.”**

That was all that was needed for the huge turtle to snort, but he slowly put his head on the beach beside the cliff, his body slowly changing sizes. A small smile appeared on her lips as she remained seated where she was, leaving the old turtle enough time to join her.

**“ _What is it that you need my help with, little one?_ ”**

Ell explained her situation to the old turtle and told him that she needed to be at the Sabaody Archipelago as fast as she could. She was looking over the ocean the whole time that she had been speaking, not once looking towards the turtle, who was now the size of her hand.

**“ _So you made some friends, I see … very well, I shall see what I can do for you, little one. Meanwhile, take care of those nasty wounds, will you? I can’t have you dripping more blood on my back._ ”**

Ell laughed at that but conceded nonetheless. As she slowly stood up, she put her hands on the old turtle’s head and murmured an ancient prayer that her people, who worshipped this old turtle, had thaught her before tehy died.

**“May you protect those who believe.”**

With that, Ell left and leisurely walked through the forest which had grown back since the genocide. Ell smiled as she heard the familiar melody surround her. _It seems like Gabrie has become a wild island now … I wonder if the library has been burned down as well …_ , Ell thought as she walked towards the place where she knew the village that she had grown up in was still standing.

As she arrived, she stood in awe, her eyes taking everything in, watching the way that nature had taken over the whole island, leaving only faint traces of the population who once lived here. _It’s sad to see it disappear …_ , Ell thought sadly. As she finally reached the house which had been hers 15 years ago, she smiled sadly as she saw that only the living room was halfway intact.

She slowly made her way to the burned couch and put all of her belongings on it. Slowly, she peeled off her jacket and took off the bandages that Chopper had made and all the rest of her clothing. As she stood naked in the middle of the destroyed room, she couldn’t stop herself from smiling.

Glad that she had thought about packing a coat in her bag, she took it out and put it around her naked body. _Let’s see if the waterfall is still there where it was last time I was here._ , Ell thought as she walked to lake where she had first found her Devil Fruit.

As she finally reached it, she took off the coat and slowly walked into the water, feeling her body sag at the feeling of being submerged with water. Even though she was feeling weak, Ell couldn’t help but cherish the impression that she was experiencing.

_I cannot continue relaxing like this …_

Ell started to clean her wounds, cleaning the bandages while she was at it. After she was done, she took a huge breath and submerged herself entirely, liking the feeling of weightlessness that followed her.

_I need to find a way to get to Sabaody as fast as possible …_

Ell emerged from beneath the water level, and she sighed in relief as she felt a fresh breeze lift her spirit. She quickly put the bandages back on, and she was about to step out of the lake when the familiar cooing of a newspaper bird reached her ear. Her head snapped up as she stretched out her arm to have him land on it.

_I need to get back to Luffy; I need to be there for him!_

**“Well, hello there, little companion. What do you have for me?”**

Only cooing was her answer, and she quickly paid the bird as it dropped the newspaper on her open hand. She thanked it and let it fly away before opening it and freezing mid-step. On the cover, there was a picture of a dead Whitebeard and Ace and the title in big, bold words: ‘Fire Fist’ Portgas D. Ace, Son of Roger, dead in War of the Summit, alongside Edward ‘Whitebeard’ Newgate – The End of an Era has been declared

_No way …_

**“Luffy …”**

Something snapped in Ell’s mind, and she scrambled to put on her clothes as she quickly ran towards the beach where she knew the old Turtle was still standing. She was panting heavily when she reached the Turtle, and she knew that he was observing her, waiting for her to tell him what is happening.

**“I need to get to Luffy. Now.”**

The old turtle remained silent for some moment before sighing fondly, his beady eyes crinkling with understanding.

**“ _I shall take you to him, little one. Get one my back._ ”**

Ell nodded gratefully and quickly put on the rest of her destroyed clothing before jumping on the growing turtle’s back.

_Wait for me Luffy! I’m coming!_

–

It was when they were approaching an island near Amazon Lilly that Ell sprung up and tried to feel her Captain’s presence. It was faint, but it was there, and she let out a relieved sigh at that. She could also feel the presence of Trafalgar Law and his crew.

**“ _That is where he is … but he isn’t stable; I shall warn you of that._ ”**

Ell nodded distantly, but all she could think about was to be there for Luffy. After all, he just lost his brother, the brother who she knew he wanted to save at all cost. As they reached the edge of the island, she saw that Trafalgar was already watching her with narrowed eyes.

As Ell jumped on the edge of the island and let the old turtle walk and settle himself on her shoulder, she heard Luffy’s blood curling scream.

**“I WANT TO SEE THEM AGAIN!”**

Ell jumped into action at that and ignored the calls that had been sent her way as she ran as fast as she could in Luffy direction. She could feel another presence beside him, but she did not let that deter her from reaching Luffy, panting heavily as she felt her body protest. She had totally forgotten about her wounds, but she pushed that to the back of her mind.

As she reached the clearing where Luffy was leaning against a rock, she could see him cry, his head in his hands.

**“Luffy …”**

Ell’s murmur was enough for both Luffy and the Fishman – _Jinbei_ – to snap their heads in her direction, Luffy launching himself at her immediately.

**“ELL!”**

A small laugh escaped her as she fell backward, hugging Luffy tightly to her as his tears hit her shoulder, where he had buried his head. Ell noticed Jinbei’s bewildered expression, and she nodded gratefully before standing up, not minding that Luffy was clinging to her like a monkey.

**“ _You should be more careful, little one. Same goes for that captain of yours._ ”**

Ell send an apologetic look in the old turtle’s direction and she held her captain close as they walked back to the edge of the island, the old turtle having decided to remain on Jinbei’s shoulder instead of hers.

She did not mind at all when they walked out and she saw Rayleigh. As she looked around and noticed that there were no boats, she concluded that he must have had an accident and swam through the Calm belt to reach this place.

**“Hello, Rayleigh.”**

After that, Hancock and her sisters soon joined them. Ell ignored the warlord as her jealous glares followed her everywhere and she solely concentrated on the discussion between Rayleigh and Luffy. A small smile on her lips as she realized what the old man was getting at. Ell quickly made eye contact with the old turtle and by the twinkle in his beady eyes she knew that he had the same idea in mind as her.

**“With everything, you will not survive long in the New World. Train with me for two years and then join with your crew again.”**

Ell laughed as she heard him think, but she could already feel him agree with Rayleigh. As Luffy took the old man’s offer, Ell decided that it was time for her to go her own way.

**“Luffy.”**

It was enough to get Luffy’s attention, and he watched Ell with wide eyes as she stood in front of him, a fond smile on her lips.

**“This will be where we part. Rayleigh will help you, but I have somewhere else where I will train.”**

Ell smiled as she saw him nod gravely and she approached Jinbei to get the old turtle back to her. She thanked the Fishman and turned around towards the sea, letting the turtle grow back to a bigger size.

**“ _Are you sure about this, Ell? Training on Gabrie will not be easy._ ”**

Ell smiled at that as she jumped on his back, waving at Luffy as he cheerily said goodbye to her. A big smile took over the small one as she heard him scream that they will soon meet again.

_Let’s see what the world has in store for you Luffy. We’ll see each other again in two years, Captain. Until then, be safe._

Ell turned around when she noticed that the island was not in view anymore and she laid upon his back, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the sound of the ocean.

**“I know it will be hard.”**

Ell started as she re-opened her eyes, watching the birds fly over her, a calmness washing over her.

**“But Luffy is worth it all.”**


	34. During Those Two Years

**“ _You seem to be lost in thoughts, little one._ ”**

Ell looked up as she heard the old turtle speak and a small smile appeared on her lips. She shook her head and laid onto her back, watching the stars flutter in the night sky.

**“I was just wondering how the rest of the crew is doing. That is all, old turtle.”**

Ell spoke quietly, and she cringed when the old turtle started a fire. Ell knew that this was part of her training and she was ready to go through it. After all, she had many weaknesses that she had to take care of if she wanted to be of help to the crew.

**“ _Is that so? Well, stop thinking about them and start thinking about what you need to improve on. I want a list for tomorrow._ ”**

Ell’s head snapped towards the turtle who started to morph into a more humanoid version of a turtle. Ell raised an eyebrow at that, a small grin slowly forming on her lips. She sat upright and chuckled in joy as she made a small stick of wood.

**“Thank you, old turtle. Thank you.”**

The old turtle hmphed and slapped her over the head, making Ell cringe as she felt a wave of pain wash over her.

**“ _I’m your teacher now; call me accordingly, little one._ ”**

Ell couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped her throat as she grinned from ear to ear, writing down what she wanted to improve on and what she wanted to achieve in this training.

**“Yes, yes, Turtle-sensei.”**

–

**“ _I see that you are improving greatly._ ”**

Ell grunted as she sprinted up the mountain, a massive rock on her back while creating hands all around her. She quickly dodged her teacher’s attacks as she reached the top and ran back down, this time attacking her teacher in return.

**“ _But it’s still not enough._ ”**

Ell’s yelp resonated through the whole island as she crashed into the mountain, making a massive dent in it. Ell gritted her teeth together as she stood up and looked down at her hands.

_Not strong enough …_

–

**“Tell me, Turtle-sensei, is the old library still intact or has the W.G. found out about it and destroyed it?”**

Ell was grilling some fish that her teacher had caught as she asked that question, noting the old turtle stopped what he was doing to glance in her direction. Ell showed no negative emotion towards his reaction, and she waited patiently for the old turtle to make a decision.

**“ _The old library is still intact, yes, but sealed. Only the worthy can enter._ ”**

Ell looked up at that and gave the turtle a grilled fish as she sat back down on the stone where she had been used to sleep on, a pensive expression on her face.

**“You are worthy, though, aren’t you?”**

The slight shake of her teacher’s head made her frown, and she tilted her head in confusion.

**“But you and Gabriel were the guardians of this island …”**

The confusion was evident in her voice and Ell tensed at the heavy sigh that her teacher let out. She observed his expression as she bit into her dinner, noting that he was looking out towards the sea more often than average.

**“ _The doors closed on me after the massacre. No one was able to enter the library after that._ ”**

Ell frowned at that, and she noticed that her teacher did not want to speak more about it, so she remained quiet and let go of the subject. She was already planning to see the library, and she would use force if needed.

_It was there where I learned what kind of Devil Fruit I had consumed …_

–

**“One-sama … are you serious?”**

Ell looked up as she heard Two question her and a small, sad smile appeared on her lips as she thought about what she had just done. Her teacher was sitting beside her, a wooden piece on fire in his hand and surrounding her.

**“Yes, Two-san, I’m sure … I cannot continue like this.”**

This time silence followed her request, and she knew that Two was frowning by the expression that the den-den mushi was showing. The old turtle had gone and gotten her all of her things from the Sunny two days ago to help her train with all of her belongings.

Accordingly, Ell had immediately contacted Two and Ten, since she knew that they were attached to the hip now. Sadly, Thirteen, Eight and Three had been found dead in their home, most likely killed by the Top as a warning to her. Ell gritted her teeth together as she thought about it, pain filling her heart at the idea of endangering even more people from her organization. Two other of her organization, Twelve and Eleven were killed as well, but they died in battle, so it was slightly different. It still hurt her, but she tried to ignore it as much as she could.

However, Ell knew that it would only be a matter of time before the Top starts to go after the remaining 8, including her.

**“I’m sure. Gather everyone and call me when you have. They need to forget about me. And the Top needs to forget about them.”**

Ell knew that Two wanted to protest, but she couldn’t allow any more harm to come to her organization. That is why she needed Two, who had eaten a memory altering Devil Fruit, where he could manipulate them, to change their memory and give them a different reason for joining the revolutionaries. He could not erase them but alter them to his liking.

**“Thank you, Two-san.”**

Ell knew that it may be cowardly of her, to push her friends away, but she could not allow more of her people to die. If the Top forgot about them than it would mean that she would have to protect them and she would be unable to do that and help Luffy achieve his dream.

_I guess Luffy has taken the first place in my priority list …_

–

Ell was standing in front of the old library’s door, and she smiled at the very familiar melody that reached her ears. _Damn, I have missed it so much._ , Ell thought as she put a hand on the door, her teacher standing behind her, observing what Ell was doing.

**“ _Push._ ”**

That was all Ell needed to push the door and hope that it would open because that would mean that she would be able to learn more about her Devil Fruit and the secrets that it hides. If she had to be honest with herself, she had expected the door to remain closed. So, when the door creaked under her action and slowly opened, she could only stare at the large hallway. It was her teacher who snapped her out of her trance.

**“ _Hmm, like I expected._ ”**

Ell ignored her teacher and walked into the hallway, her head snapping back when she heard the doors slam closed. Her eyes widened when she was trapped in total darkness, the chuckling of her teacher following her as she tensed.

**“ _Survive this, Ell, and you shall find what you seek._ ”**

Ell grunted when she was slammed into the wall by something. She quickly dodged it and tried to control the wood surrounding her, but nothing was moving. It was as if she was powerless, her Devil Fruit power having been closed off to her.

_ PROVE YOURSELF TO US, BEARER OF THE FATED FRUIT! _

Ell grunted again as she charged towards the wooden arms that were not her trusted friend anymore. She looked up from her crouching position, and she smiled darkly. She knew what she had to do and she was going to do it right. For herself. For her crew. For Luffy.

_I need to get stronger!_

–

Ell coughed out blood as she continuously fought the wooden monsters that were attacking her one after the other. Injuries, scratches, and gashes were adorning her skin, bruises, and blood coloring her skin, but all Ell could care about is getting stronger. She did not know how long she was in this forsaken library, but all she knew that mattered was that she was finally reaching the end of the trial.

She could feel it, she could see it, the books that were hidden deep under this island. The books that held the secrets from this island, the books that would help her gather knowledge faster and forever seek the truth. Or knowledge.

 _Knowledge is truth and thus power_ , Ell thought as she jumped out of the way of the wooden tentacles and used armament Haki to punch through them quickly. _And power is what I need to help Luffy!_ , Ell continued to think as she let her rage take over.

 _And I will get it. No matter what sacrifices I need to make._ , Ell growled in her mind as she let her body relax entirely and decided to do something that she had never attempted before. She ignored her surroundings, her eyes closing slowly as she dodged every attack that was being sent her way. She disappeared from where she was standing and reappeared behind the wooden tentacles.

She let out a sigh of relief and marched forward, ignoring the chaos that she was leaving behind. As she pushed the last door open, she narrowed her eyes at the sight of an empty room, lit by candles lying everywhere in the smelly room.

_ THIS IS THE LAST PHASE! PROVE US THAT YOU ARE WORTHY OF LEARNING WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A TRUE GABRIEAN WARRIOR! _

Ell grinned madly as she saw people appear from everywhere around the room and she cracked her muscles as she coated both her arms in armament Haki.

**“Let’s get this shit show started!”**

–

Ell was the only one left standing, blood littering the whole room as she panted heavily. She was reaching the last bit of her strength, but she knew that she needed to push herself harder to reach the final destination. Gathering all the strength that she had left, she moved her wounded body towards the door and pushed it open, only to be met with another long hallway.

She didn’t let that deter her as she slowly moved down the hall, her eyes gathering all the information that she could from her surroundings. As she reached a golden door, she didn’t hesitate to push it open, and she gasped at the sight in front of her.

She was looking in a large room, its wall decorated with thousand rows of books, from ranging ages and different kinds of knowledge. It was heaven for her, but she narrowed her eyes at the figure standing in the middle of the room.

**“Turtle-sensei?”**

The turtle turned around, a dark, but fond smile on his face as Ell slowly entered the room.

**“ _I see that you have finally reached the final point. Rest, little one, because this is only the beginning._ ”**

Ell partly heard the end of what he was saying before falling unconscious, leaving a chuckling teacher behind in the real world.

–

**“ _That is the way of a Gabriean warrior. Never forget that, Ell ManderVill, because your name is just that. A symbol that represents Gabriean warriors.”_**

Ell nodded as she mediated in the middle of the library, slowly regaining control over her Devil fruit. Her teacher had explained to her that it was normal for her to have lost control of it in the first place as it was what this challenge was about in the first place.

**“ _From what I have seen, you already are knowledgeable in the more murderous side of that way, but you lack in the more technical side. I shall teach you this. It will help you in gaining more control over your Devil Fruit because it was based for it in the first place._ ”**

Ell jumped out of the way as her teacher attacked her, but she was unable to dodge the other set of attacks that were thrown her way. She groaned as pain flared in her body, but her gaze turned determined as she watched her masterwork.

_I will get stronger!_

–

**“I did … what you have asked of me, One-sama …”**

Ell frowned and sighed as she remained in her meditating position. She knew something was coming and she was partly scared to find out what was making him so worried.

**“I feel that there is a but, Two-san.”**

Ell was speaking kindly, knowing that what she had asked of him was hard to do. After all, she had to make them forget about her. He had to become the leader all on his own.

**“I couldn’t do it to Ten …”**

Two’s admission did not surprise Ell in the slightest, and she chuckled at the older man, hearing him sigh in relief that she was not taking this badly.

**“Is he aware that he cannot speak of me anymore? That my name will only be that to the rest? And that the Informants are now only 7 people?”**

Ell saw the den-den mushi close its eyes and she knew that Two was trying to remain as stoic as possible for her, which she was genuinely thankful for. Her gaze softened as she heard Ten’s voice in the background.

**“I made Mimy forget … but before I did, she begged me for one last favor …”**

Ell remained quiet, and she didn’t move her head when she heard her teacher enter the room. She wanted to offer Two her undivided attention. She knew that she would remain in contact with him, however less than before. He deserved that from her after what she had asked of him.

**“She begged me to call our son G-Gabriel Ell Freiheit …”**

Ell stilled before a wet laugh escaped her as she put a hand on her face to stop the tears from falling down. Mimy had always been a wonderful friend, and it broke her heart in a thousand pieces that she will fall away from them after everything.

**“Go on, Two-san, fulfill your wife’s wishes. I support you. I just hope that you don’t hate me too much for what I have asked of you.”**

Her answer was a rough laugh, and she could hear Ten chuckle in the background. Tears started to escape the den-den mushi’s eyes, and she knew that Two was crying. Ell raised her eyes when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she nodded gratefully in her teacher’s direction.

**“Thank you, Two-san, Ten. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being my friends. I will never forget you.”**

**–**

**“ _You are doing great, little one. If you continue like this, the library will finally allow you to see through its pages._ ”**

The only response that the old turtle got from the tall, blue-haired woman is a gruntled groan as she pushed the rock up with one hand, her veins showing from the strain. Surrounding her was a massive fire and Ell was quickly growing immune to all the breaking of woods as well as fire.

 _It’s for the best, I guess …_ , Ell thought as she slowly started to go through a new routine with her two daggers. Her teacher had made sure that she had learned the dance-like fighting style as quickly as possible because, as much as she didn’t want to believe it, time was flowing away. Only one year was already left before she had to meet up with her crew.

 _Time is passing way too fast … but I guess that is for the best as well. I will see them again soon._ , the thought brought a smile to her face as she slowly finished her routine, lifting one dagger to her forehead to stop the pebble that her teacher had thrown her way.

**“ _But you have still a lot to learn, Ell ManderVill._ ”**

–

The books opened on their own as all the knowledge flowed into her brain. She had gone through a lot of pain to finally be able to open these books, and now they were fleeting around her as she stood in the middle of the library.

**“ _The library has deemed you to be worthy of the knowledge trapped inside, Ell. Once given to you, you will never be able to forget it. Are you certain that you want to gather that knowledge?_ ”**

Ell smiled brightly at her teacher as she rose from her seating position and brought her arms up in the air.

**“To get stronger, to understand better, yes, I am ready.”**

Her teacher nodded, satisfied that she had learned what she needed to seek. Behind every ounce of knowledge, a small hint of the eternal Truth was hidden. All she needed to find is the knowledge and the truth, her truth will finally emerge from beneath the lies. 

–

**“ _Are you done training, little one?_ ”**

Ell shook her head because she knew that she was never done training. She could always get stronger and stronger; that was all that she could do for Luffy.

**“I will never be done, Sensei.”**

Her teacher laughed at her response and left the woman alone as he exited the library, his eyes wandering over the ocean that was surrounding the island. He let out a heavy sigh and called Ell to follow him as he marched towards the cliff where they had seen each other for the first time since the incident.

They were both watching over the ocean when her teacher suddenly spoke up.

**“ _Let’s see what the library has left for you. I believe that you are ready for the ultimate secret that this island has to offer._ ”**

–

Ell stood in the middle of the library panting heavily. Tears were falling from her eyes as she learned the ultimate secret of Gabrie. She let out a teary laugh as she fell on her behind, leaning her head on her hands as she tried to get her tears under control.

**“ _I hope you can understand, Ell ManderVill._ ”**

Ell looked to the side to where her teacher was, and she shook her head. Never has she expected that her island was what it was. And never did she think that the only reason that it was left standing and did not crumble under the destruction of the W.G. was because of her.

**“All this time … I had unconsciously used my Devil fruit to maintain this island alive … but what does it mean for me?”**

Ell turned to her teacher, and she saw him look at her gravely, and she immediately knew that she would not like the news that he was about to deliver to her. As he sighed, he motioned for his student to follow him. Ell did so without question, and she silently followed her teacher into the woods, letting the familiar melody wash over her.

As they reached the middle of the island, she looked around and frowned at the dark turn the melody had taken. She tried to ignore it as they walked into a cave, the darkness not bothering Ell, who had mastered her Haki to the point that she was using it subconsciously at the same time as her Devil fruit to get an idea of her surroundings.

**“ _It means that you have not reached your entire potential, Ell. That all this time, you could have been stronger._ ”**

Ell narrowed her eyes at the piece of wood that was floating in the middle of the cage, her eyes wandering all over the place, taking in all of the details. The part of wood was calling to her, and she had a hard time not marching to it and letting it latch onto her body.

**“ _It means that, if you choose, you could use the energy that has been wasted on keeping this island alive to get stronger._ ”**

Ell walked towards the piece of wood, and she winced when she felt the amount of energy and potential hidden in this small piece of lumber. She waited for her teacher to continue, but she could feel his hesitance, and she could understand why.

**“But if I choose to do that, I would destroy this island once and for all.”**

Ell spoke for her teacher, and a resigned sigh was her answer. She gritted her teeth together and was about to deny that part of her power, that part of her when she felt his hand on her shoulder. Angry eyes met with calm, but resigned ones.

**“ _Listen to me, Ell ManderVill, and listen well. This is not your home anymore._ ”**

Ell glared at her teacher and opened her mouth to interrupt him, but he shook his head and lifted his hand to silence her. He could see how his words were hurting her, but she needed to hear them. She needed to, she had no choice in that matter.

**“ _No, listen to me, little one. Like I said, this is not your home anymore. This is your past, a place that you have been holding onto for far too long. Its destruction will not mean that you’ll have no place to be anymore. But you have to make a choice now. You have to choose between your past and your future._ ”**

Ell shook her head in denial, not ready to accept what her teacher was telling her. She was not prepared to let go of her home, of her past, of what had once been. She was not ...

**“But–“**

Ell started, but her teacher was quick to intercept, already reading the protest in his student's eyes and demeanor.

**“ _No, Ell. You know I am right. This island has no future anymore. It’s a surprise to me that we were attacked only three times in this period of time by the W.G. Listen, Ell, the world wants this island gone and each time that it is destroyed, you give a little bit more of yourself to it so that it can be built back up._ ”**

Ell looked to the side, her eyes tearing up again and she mentally berated herself for being so emotional. Her teacher, sensing her internal war, gave her one final argument for the end of this island. He gave her one last reason to enable her to let go of everything.

**“ _This island is destined to disappear physically, Ell. However, we will never disappear from your memories and what you have learned here. But it is time that you choose your future, your crew, your captain, Luffy, instead of us._ ”**

Ell turned around and showed her teacher her back as she put her hand on the piece of wood, already feeling stronger. _If a simple touch can give me this, how much will I get when I take back everything?_ , Ell thought sourly. She knew what she needed to do, what was required of her to do.

**“How do I do it?”**

The small, but wet laugh of her teacher tore through her heart, and she wanted to do nothing more than to take him in her arms, but she knew that it would just make it harder for her to let go. 

Instead, she listened to what he had to say and followed his instructions.

–

Slowly, the trees were starting to lose color and nature was disintegrating, making Ell grit her teeth together. She watched with a heavy heart on her boat as the island became nothing, alongside her teacher, who was dissipating in small fickles of light. She imprinted his smiling face in her mind, making sure to pay respect to him and the rest of the island.

**“Thank you for everything, Sensei.”**

Ell voiced out and turned around when she heard an echoing chuckle and a thank you resonate through the atmosphere. Oh, how she wished that she didn’t have to do that, how she had hoped that she did not have to let go of the sole place that her past was connected to.

 _I guess it is for the best, though. Better lose everything on my own terms._ , Ell thought as she sat down on the deck, thanking her teacher for having asked some sea monsters to get her to the Archipel. She knew that she had still some time left before she meets up with her crewmates, but she needed to get to the Sunny. She needed to get somewhere familiar. She needed to hear the Sunny again.

**“I wonder how the rest is doing at the moment.”**

Ell whispered to the wind, relishing in its soft caress. She smiled as she rubbed a rogue tear away, ignoring the small ache in her heart. Starting today, she had something to look forward to. An adventure that would change this era forever, a captain who was the epitome of change.

A huge smile adorned her lips as she thought about her crew. She was lucky enough to have caught Luffy’s attention. And she was becoming part of his story, a helper to his goal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is only the beginning of the new era, and Ell is finally getting stronger. 
> 
> Let me know what you think about this chapter and don't hesitate to leave a comment. 
> 
> I really hope that you enjoy this chapter and I'll see you next week in the next part.
> 
> Bye ~


	35. After those two years

Ell was leisurely walking through the busy street of the Archipel when she heard a marine call out his comrades to go after her. Ell grinned brightly and disappeared from where she was standing amongst the crowd, confusing the marines that had spotted her.

A small laugh escaped her lips as she was sitting on one of the mangrove trees, watching the marines run around like lost puppies, obviously searching for her. She hummed as she bit into one of the many candies that she had gotten herself. She looked up and smiled at the sight of the cloudless sky, her heart still aching with the feeling of loss, but she pushed past it, humming the melody that was unique to the island of her past instead.

As Ell looked down on the people walking down the busy streets of one of the Grove on the Archipel, she smiled darkly as the thought of creating chaos entered her mind, but she pushed it to the side as she swallowed the candy in her mouth. Ell unwrapped another one of the many lollipops that she had purchased amongst other things and started to enjoy it.

After arriving at the Archipel, three months ago, she had swiftly gone shopping for new clothes, some new accessories, and candies. She had gotten herself a pair of jeans shorts with knee-high black socks which she had paired with her old combat boots. She had paired that up with a black cropped tank top where a middle finger had been drawn in the middle.

Her dark blue hair was now up in a messy bun – _Ell had decided not to cut it and let it grow over the time that she had been away_ –, a pair of sunglasses on her nose and a lollipop had become her permanent companion over the three months. Instead of dangling around her neck in the form of two triangles, Ell had transformed the pieces of Adam’s wood into a bracelet where the two pieces twirled around one another, and she had put the chain in her hair, as it gave her an edgier aesthetic. She loved it.

Her trusty bag had disappeared and instead she was now wearing a thick thigh band made out of the piece of wood that was in the cave on Gabrie, where several lollipops and other candies were securely attached to. Her black den-den mushi had also become a permanent occupant on her wrist.

Ell yawned as she bit down on her lollipop, munching on the pieces as she thought: _I will have to ask Sanji to make me some candy that won’t be too harmful to my teeth if eaten in high quantities._ Ell sighed at that and unconsciously created some small wooden steps around the trunk as she got down, trying to feel her crew’s presence. She had tried to hold taps on her crewmates’ arrival, but until now, no one had arrived, except for Brook, who she had seen in one of his concerts.

Suddenly, a paper flew in the air, which spiked Ell’s interest and she used a wooden bird to bring it to her. As she saw the content on the paper, Ell felt herself freeze in shock, her body slowly trembling as anger filled her gut. _Strawhat Pirates recruiting New Members_ was written on it in bold letters, and she couldn’t stop herself from snorting.

**“Who do those imposters think they are?”**

Ell grumbled under her breath as she ripped the paper in small pieces and letting the wind transport them through the island. _Now that I think about it, I’m not so surprised that Sabaody became the island for reunions of imposters or other criminals, with the Marine Headquarters having relocated on the other side of the Red Line_., Ell thought lazily as she waltzed through the Grove, halting suddenly when a familiar presence entered her radar.

She smiled when she felt Zoro on the island, and she snickered at the irony of it all. He, who gets lost so quickly that it isn’t funny anymore, is the first to arrive on the island. _Well, technically, I’m the first one here._ , Ell mused as she jumped on the floor and started to walk towards Grove 13, where she knew Rayleigh must be at the moment.

As she finally arrived, she felt Zoro not far away from where she was standing at the base of the small hill that Shakky’s Rip-Off Bar was built upon. She yawned again as she unwrapped another candy and put in her mouth, grinning when she looked to the side, and her eyes fell upon the green-haired first mate.

**“Zoro!”**

Ell called him happily as she smiled brightly at the man in front of her and quickly noted all the differences in his physic from two years ago and now. She laughed at his raised eyebrow and patted his back somewhat brutally. He had grown taller over the time, and they were the same size at the moment. She also noticed that his right eyes had been scarred shut, but she didn’t ask about it. _After all, at the moment, it is none of my business._ , Ell thought as she decided to tease the green-haired boy a little.

**“I see that you have finally grown somewhat. But I’m so proud of you! You’re not the last one to arrive!”**

Ell ignored his growl as she marched into Shakky’s bar, a small smile on her lips as she greeted Rayleigh and Shakky. After taking a drink, she had waved them goodbye and taken another tour through the island, searching for some things that she might need in the future. And she wanted to take care of the imposters as well if she ever crossed their paths.

After that, the days passed by slowly, and she had not met anyone else from the crew, even though she was able to feel them arrive one after the other. A small laugh escaped her when she had a feeling that Zoro had gotten lost and a big grin adorned her features as a permanent resident. As she felt both Robin and Franky on the Sunny, she decided that she wanted to at least meet some of her crewmates again before Luffy was back.

Skipping through town, Ell was looking around, getting herself some food, since she was feeling hungry for something saltier than her candies when suddenly, she bumped into a tall woman with her hair color and the same exact scar.

At the bump, the tall woman snapped her head in Ell’s direction, glaring down at her. Ell simply raised an eyebrow, not bothered by this weak woman, who thought that she was the thing. The woman grabbed her tank top and pushed her face into hers, her eyes narrowed as she watched the disinterested expression on Ell’s face.

**“Watch where you’re going, scum. Don’t you know who I am? The Traitor, Ell ManderVill-sama!”**

Ell froze in the taller woman’s grip, the other woman smiling coyly as she mistook her movement for fear. As she was about to speak up again, a cruel smile appeared on her lips and a dangerous spark in her eyes.

**“So you are one of the imposters, huh?”**

At that, it was the woman’s turn to freeze, her eyes widening as she took Ell’s appearance in. Ell liked the way that the woman’s face paled as she realized that she had just challenged the real deal. Ell scoffed at that thought, that woman was not even a challenge, to begin with.

Ell simply flicked her wrist, making the woman crash into the nearest wall and Ell continued her way down the street, munching on a sandwich that she had purchased before the whole encounter with her imposter.

She resumed her way towards the Sunny, ignoring the wide-eyed looks that she was receiving from the inhabitants of the Grove that she was crossing at the moment. As she finally reached the sunny, a big smile appeared on her lips at his welcoming melody.

**“Hello, Sunny. How are you doing after these two years?”**

Ell asked as she jumped on the deck, smiling when her eyes landed on two of her comrades. She tilted her head to the side at the sight of a totally different Franky, and she couldn’t stop the small laugh that escaped her.

_ I’m doing well, Ell. I just missed you guys. _

Ell smiled at the Sunny’s response but decided to give her attention to her friends who were looking at her with wide eyes. She knew that her looks had changed slightly, but if she had to put one transformation that surprised her the most, it would be Franky’s.

As if he wasn’t already tall enough, his new body was even taller, forcing Ell to look up to make eye-contact with the cyborg.

**“Yo.”**

Ell waved as she sat down in front of her two comrades who reciprocated her smile and they slowly eased into a discussion. Ell enjoyed this normality that had been taken away after they had been separated and she was smiling a lot more than before.

**“OW! Ell-chan, I noticed that you smile a lot more. Something good happened?”**

Ell laughed at that and nodded, her eyes sparkling as she knew that over the two years, she had given up on most of her inhibitions about joining the crew. She looked to the side and noticed that Robin was looking at her in a pensive manner and Ell wondered what must be on Robin’s mind.

**“It has been bugging me for two years now, but in the auction house, there had been a puppet that had attacked you … and you said that you didn’t belong to anyone anymore. What was that about?”**

Ell stilled when Robin reminded her of the Top’s warning and the letter that she had read when she had still been on Gabrie. Ell let her smile down, and she looked seriously in Robin’s direction, noting that Franky had left the two women alone. She guessed that he wanted to offer them privacy. _Well, as much as this ship can deliver it._ , Ell thought, but she reprimanded herself for losing concentration before looking at Robin gravely.

**“I had already explained to you why my bounty had changed the way it did.”**

Robin nodded at that and watched as the deck slowly transformed into a chair for the two of them, Ell looking over the railing, a distant look clouding her eyes.

**“After the destruction of my home island in a similar manner as your island, I was able to escape with a small boat. With it, I arrived on a new island, farther away from Gabrie. There I had met one of my mentors, Gabriel. He had trained me until I had reached the age of 13 and afterward he had died by the hands of Sakazuki, or more commonly known as Akainu.”**

Ell quietened for a moment and looked at the trees, a small smile appearing on her lips, even though her story was becoming darker at that point. Ell looked back towards Robin who was sending her an encouraging smile.

**“He had been ordered to kill Gabriel and to bring me back. I had shown potential when I was able to escape and I was brought to the Top, who’s an organization made out of some mighty people. Fast forward two years, I had become an unbranded slave to them, and I was starting to get enough.**

**The puppet you saw, is one of the means that they had ensured that I would remain under their influence. However, I was slowly becoming stronger and finding ways of losing them, until one year later, I was on the run, much like you. Only the Celestial Dragons had loved me being their puppet, and they wanted me back, alive for the meantime.**

**As you saw, my poster now said that they want me dead and that is to ensure that I don’t go on a blabbing trip and tell everyone what I knew about them. it could compromise their position, just as much as the Revolutionaries play in this era.”**

Robin nodded after Ell finished telling her what her past vaguely looked like. She knew that amongst the crew, Robin was the only one curious enough to want to know what Ell had been like before they met. She knew that at that point, she was curious about Robin’s past as well, but she trusted the archeologist with her secrets.

**“I had a similar, yet very different past than yours Ell.”**

Ell listened intently as Robin told her about her own experiences and when they decided to steer the discussion to lighter themes, both women knew that a more profound bond had been established between the two. Ell smiled at something that Robin had said, and she shook her head as she watched her crewmates arrive one after the other.

Ell raised her head as she watched Rayleigh and Shakky approach their ship. Ell waved at the two, smiling as they reciprocated it and she ignored Nami, Usopp, and Chopper, who gave her an incredulous look. A small laugh escaped her lips as she heard Rayleigh tell the rest of the crew that Luffy had already arrived, but Ell had been aware of that the moment he had stepped a foot on this island.

His presence was not one that she would be able to ignore, nor was it one that she wanted to, so she had decided to keep track of his journey to them. Ell suddenly burst out laughing when she felt Luffy amidst a fight between their imposters and the Marines, the trees helping her feel his deep confusion at what was happening around him.

By the smile on Rayleigh’s lips, Ell knew that he was feeling that too.

**“Is e-everything alright, Ell?”**

Ell heard Usopp ask her and she moved her head so that she was looking him straight in the eyes, making sure that everyone heard her when she talked.

**“Just peachy, Usopp. I was just laughing because trouble found Luffy again.”**

And that was the cue for a round of groans coming from Nami and Usopp, which made Ell chuckle. She watched them hurry the crew along as they prepared the ship to go to Grove 42 and Ell couldn’t stop the fond smile that appeared on her lips, not that she wanted to.

_I really have missed them. I'm happy that I finally got them back._


	36. Gigantic Octopus?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! 
> 
> Long time no see, huh? I'm so sorry for the long wait, but I have been so busy these last few weeks, that I was not able to write anything. I hope this short chapter is okay, but it's the end of the school year for me, which is a synonym for having several exams during the next following weeks, leaving me with not a lot of time to write anything. 
> 
> Thank you for sticking with me, and this story though, and I hope you aren't too mad with my spontaneous updating schedule. 
> 
> I wish you all a fantastic day and week! 
> 
> Until next time, See ya!

Ell hummed as she felt Luffy run their way and she couldn’t stop the big smile on her face as his presence neared them further. It had been 2 long years since she was able to see him and the last time that she did, he was covered in bandages and crying over the loss of his big brother. 

He had not been in the best state of mind, even if she had arrived at the right time and helped him, however small her contribution really was, to get himself back together to make a 'rational' decision for the best of the crew. Not that all his logic was purely based on rationality.

Her head slowly moved up, and she had a fond smile at the sight of the skeleton humming along to some song that only he could hear. He hadn't really changed since last time that she had seen him, not that he could change much since he was, in fact, a dead skeleton. As he reached the ship, he was greeted with open arms.

She smiled at everyone’s cheerful reaction that he had decided to join them instead of following his fame, not that Ell had ever doubted him. Even if he hadn’t wanted to come back and go after his popularity instead, the marine would have found out about their connection at some point or another. he would have been forced to flee either way.

After having received a kick from Nami for having asked to see her panties, Ell chuckled and gave the skeleton a small hug in reconciliation before standing up and waving at the crewmates that arrived.

**“YOU GUYS!!”**

Ell smiled brightly, and she chuckled as she saw Sanji bleed badly at the sight of them. And by them, she meant Robin, Nami and her. From what she could understand, he must have landed on an island solely made out of men for him to have such an exaggerated reaction by seeing females. She had already met Zoro when he first arrived on the island, but she hadn’t taken the time to talk to him for long since she had wanted to visit more of the island. Luffy waved back, his big signature smile on his face. 

She could hear Usopp and Brook sob at the sight of them, making Ell chuckle lowly and she placed her hand on Brook’s skeletal back, patting him as he called out to their captain. After they landed, Chopper waved goodbye to the giant bird, Usopp worried himself with Sanji and Luffy was gapping at Franky’s new body.

Ell was standing against the mast, smiling at her over-energetic crew as she narrowed her eyes at the pirate crew not far away from their own and who was watching them with evil intent.

_ I can keep track of them, Ell. _

Ell nodded and glanced in the marines’ direction before yawning and sitting down, not feeling like doing much to stop them when she noticed the Kuja pirates stopping them instead. Ell ignored the angered Sanji, who was obviously jealous that Luffy had landed on an island filled with women, and watched with fascination as the weird coating started to expand.

She could feel Franky beneath the Sunny, and she deduced that it most likely meant that he was the reason for the rise of the coating. Ell yawned as her sense prickled at the sound of multiple screams, and she smiled when she felt several different groups of people take care of the marines that have tried to follow them.

**“Are you all paying attention?”**

Ell looked to the side to see that Nami was explaining to the crew what the coating’s abilities were and how it was possible for them to not sink, but the blank looks on both Luffy and Zoro’s face told everyone that they hadn’t understood one bit of what Nami had just explained.

Ell stretched out her limbs and straightened up when she saw Luffy huff and cross his arms, asking Nami if they were ready to set sails.

**“Well then, everyone! I have tons of things that I’ve wanted to tell you, all this time, but for now, let’s leave it at this! Thank you for going along with my selfish whim for these past two years!”**

Ell smiled brightly at her captain’s words, and she knew that he was thankful to have a crew like them. Ell looked to the side, and she gripped onto the railing as the ship started to dip, his melody growing joyous.

**“SET SAIL!! FISHMAN ISLAND, HERE WE COME!!!”**

The whole crew cheered at the sound of their captain’s words, and she glanced at the side, knowing that the stowaway was hiding in one of the barrels, thanks to his devil fruit. Ell raised an eyebrow as she heard him cackle, but ignored it as she sat down, leaning against the mast as they were slowly floating through the ocean.

She half listened to what Nami was telling Usopp and Chopper about the weird coating that their ship had received and she sighed when she heard Franky’s voice turn serious. She knew that there was something that he wanted to tell them about. She had a feeling that it had something to do with the protector of the Sunny, one of the reasons why she had decided not to get back to the ship immediately.

**“When I came back some days ago, Kuma had been the one who was standing in front of the Sunny. There wasn’t a single scratch on the ship, even though Kuma was covered in blood and his metallic body had been showing.”**

Ell narrowed her eyes but sighed as she had an idea as to where Franky was going with his story. She looked to the side as she watched the ship float deeper and deeper into the ocean.

**“I talked to Rayleigh about this, and he told me what Kuma had said to him during the battle. I believe that each of you has come to understand that that man has saved our lives back then.”**

Ell’s gaze swarmed with the memory of the day that she had realized that Kuma had done her and her crewmates a considerable favor. She knew that he helped them and she knew that when she had recognized that, she had shed some tears. She had shed tears for the man that had once been human and was most likely not anymore.

 

**“Kuma-san went to Rayleigh after the fight and told him that the Marine had been modifying his body and that he had agreed to have his body changed into a cyborg. His personality had been ultimately erased by the time of the ultimate war.”**

Ell gritted her teeth together as she listened to Franky continue explaining to the crew what Rayleigh had told him about Kuma. She looked away as Franky informed them that Dr. Vegapunk, the scientist behind Kuma’s transformation, had allowed the warlord to program one last mission in his mind before total erasure, which Kuma had chosen as becoming the protector of the Sunny.

**“There is one thing that all of us need to remember when it comes to Bartholomew Kuma. He’s the savior of our crew and if we ever run into him again, he’ll only be a heartless human weapon!”**

Ell let her crew have that in mind as she stood up and walked towards the railing of the Sunny. All that talk had reminded her what she had to do to protect her own group of informants. It may not have been the best decision for the crew, but she couldn’t allow the Voice, nor the Top to do anything to her people, those who she was unable to protect.

Ell’s head slowly moved when she heard Usopp yell in fright at the sight of a sea monster that was swimming straight towards them. Ell tilted her head to the side as she felt the pirates that had been watching them before coming their way at a high space.

_ It’s them, Ell. Those were who you asked me to be careful of. _

Ell nodded again and yawned as watched the see monster stop in front of their ship, his wide eyes taking in the crew. Ell tilted her head anew as she watched the growing fear take over the animals expression as his eyes landed on some crewmembers, and she snorted when it screamed. She raised an eyebrow at the lone man that had boarded their ship.

She eyed the pathetic man momentarily, before shrugging and letting the crew deal with him. He had already bored her out, and she was not going to waste any more of her energy on a little fly like him. She absentmindedly listened to what Nami was telling the crew, but she was more interested in the wildlife that was happening all around them.

**“It’s going to get colder since we are going towards the bottom of the ocean. It’s like a bath, it’s always cooler at the bottom.”**

As Ell heard Nami mention that it would get colder, she was going to go to her room to get her coat back, but before she could take a step towards the entrance, the Sunny had already given her, her jacket. A chuckle left her lips as she put the coat over her shoulders. She ignored Nami’s angered scream as the crew ignored her explanation about the currents and watched the fishes swim all around her.

**“THE MYSTERY CURRENT IS LIKE A WATERFALL UNDERWATER!!”**

Ell laughed at her Captain’s excited answer. She smiled at Usopp, Brook and Chopper’s obviously scared expression at the sight of it. Ell could feel the excitement in her veins, and a giddy smile appeared on her lips as she leaned over the railing, trying to get a better look while having the Sunny draw it in her storybook.

While everyone was wondering what was below, Ell tilted her head to the side when she heard the Sunny hum worriedly. It didn’t bother Ell too much, because whatever was down there, obstructing the end of the current from all of their view.

**“HEY!! STRAW HATS!! TURN BACK, RIGHT NOW! WE ARE ALL IN MORTAL DANGER! Take a damn look at what is truly down there! Don’t you see the monster!! It’s a monster from dark legends, the bane of all humans thinking of traveling under the Red Line!”**

Ell yawned at the stupid insect’s overdramatic description of the sea monster that was below them, which earned her a harsh glare from Nami, who had forgotten that their informant could be so cold and calm in situations of obvious danger.

Ell shrugged and went back to watching the monster come towards the light, rolling her eyes at the dramatic effects that the insect was putting in his speech.

**“IT’S THE KRAKEN!!”**

Ell glared at the volume of the insect’s voice and used a wooden hand to slap him over the head, putting him down for good. _At least for now,_ Ell thought as she stretched out her muscles and chuckled at the sight of Luffy’s huge smile. She had already an idea as to what her idiot Captain was having in mind, and she would be lying if she said that the idea wasn’t appealing.

**“I’ve just had a great idea. Let’s make it our pet!”**

And this was how the Strawhats ended up with an octopus pet and a depressed insect who had lost his whole crew and brother but was still astounded with the feat that the Strawhats had been able to achieve. Not that Ell had done much, except watching it all happen, while munching on some fruits that Sanji had packed with him for the journey.


End file.
